Eternal Paradox
by Mystic Yoshie
Summary: An old evil is surfacing and Lloyd must find a way to save the World again. To do so he must go back in time, but if he changes the past, what will the future look like? Who will die? Complete.
1. Chapter 1

_Chapter one: Triumphant Return _

_AN: Well, I've been out for several months now, and I figured it's time to come back…with a vengeance. Eternal Paradox is the story that I've been promising for awhile and, while school isn't actually out yet, I figured June was a good time to start._

_I've read a few stories like this one, but there are a few huge differences between mine and the others, not that I'm going to tell you yet, you'll just have to read and find out. I'll have the next chapter out in about two weeks. In the meantime, enjoy._

_Disclaimer: I sincerely swear that I do not own Tales of Symphonia or any of its characters from here-on-out. There shall be no need for other disclaimers of this type throughout the updates._

….

It was dark.

Blissfully dark.

That was what registered first. Then came the feeling of the numb softness, and the smell; it was home. Not like Kratos-Dad home, but Dirk-Dad home. He had always liked the fresh, clean, earthy smell that came with living with Dirk. He'd found it hard to give up when he'd moved from Dirk's to a place of his own…

Which didn't explain why, suddenly, he was quite sure he was asleep in his room at Dad's house…

Oh! It hit him like lightning; the feeling of sleep leaving his brain and adrenaline filling his veins was intoxicating and Lloyd sat up with a jolt, looking around at his surroundings.

He was indeed in his room at Dad-Dirk's house; the wooden walls, floor, and doors made that obvious. Lloyd's plants all sat peacefully in their respective pots around his desk. The work area was filled with plans for Colette's birthday necklace. Everything seemed normal; everything was where it was supposed to be.

Everything but Lloyd, himself, that is.

The biggest difference? The fact that he was lying fully dressed in bed, his hair, disfigured by sleep, was a deeper shade of red then it had been at this same time a year ago, and his red dwarven clothing was changed into a sleeker, more adult version. Lloyd, himself, seemed older, a year older in fact. His body was better defined, shoulders broader, hair longer, voice deeper…

Lloyd sighed, realizing that, after all the work he had put in, he was here. He'd made it. Of course, that was only the beginning of what he had to do. But, for now, he had only one thing to worry about: school. Raine would kill him if he was late, and from the look of the sun outside his window, he would have to run as fast as he could though Iselia forest just to make it. But this wasn't a normal morning, so he'd have to find… other means of transportation.

When he raced down the stairs five minutes later, he was dressed in his usual buttoned red shirt, grey pants, red boots, and funny white tassels hanging from his collar. His adolescent self crashed down the stairs and landed gracelessly at the breakfast table where a bowl of porridge and a lumpy-looking dough-ball bun sat in wait for him. It looked delicious.

"Mornin' Lloyd," Dirk called from where he was bent over the small oven-like indoor forge. He had a larger, but it couldn't be kept in the small house for heating purposes. It would have been nice were they ever in need of a space heater, but the northern region of the Triet continent was very mild, so they never had the opportunity to test the theory. "You're gunna' be late fer school again."

Though a mouthful of tastelessness, Lloyd choked out something that sounded vaguely like "Don Harem, I've a basket of onions and a nose ski." He doubted this was actually what his adopted son was trying to convey to him and growled, "Chew, swallow, _then_ talk, son."

Lloyd grinned sheepishly and painfully swallowed his mouthful.

"S-sorry, Dad; I said: don't worry, I've got Noishe and I'll get there on time."

"I don' wanta' be barked at by that teacher of yours again, so get goin'!"

Lloyd stood up, not bothering to finish his breakfast, and grabbed his packs from the table beside the door and walked into the sunlight. It was still early morning, but school started at nine and normally it took an hour's walk to make it through the forest. And that if he _wasn't_ attacked.

"I'll see you tonight, Dad," Lloyd called over his shoulder to a surprised Dirk; Lloyd never left food on his plate. "It's the Oracle today, so I don't know when I'll be getting home."

"Since when has that Churchy crap ever made you late to dinner?" snapped Dirk.

"Dad, Colette's the Chosen, how could it not affect me?"

"Humph!" Dirk grumbled, never having understood how someone as against the Church of Martel as Lloyd, not a habit taught by the dwarf—though one that he supported—but one brought on by the boy's birth parents, could become friends with the Chosen; the very icon of the Church.

"See you tonight! Come on Noishe!"

Almost without realizing he was doing it, Lloyd wandered up the path to where his mother was buried. The stone grave-marker was kept clean and beautiful by the two males who watched over her resting place. Even Noishe, a "dog", was respectful of the area. The flowers and vines that covered the ground around the grave only served to perfect the picture.

"See you tonight Mom." Lloyd turned to leave, but, then, turned back for a moment to stare at the simple grave and whispered a soft request. "And… if you could, that is, help me? I'm doing this for everyone's good…"

If Lloyd wanted to succeed, he was going to need all the super-natural help he could get…

He lead Noishe across the bridge and out into the well-trod path through Iselia Forest.

…

The sunlight was growing stronger as the morning progressed and the air was heating up. The day was warming to the perfect temperature and turning into what one would call a "blessing from heaven".

Lloyd noticed none of this as he was racing though the trees, they burred around him as he rushed by. Noishe flew over the ground as though their lives depended on it. They had left the Desian Ranch behind them miles ago. And with it, all the putrid smells, screams, and shouts that it incorporated. It was terrifying having to pass by daily to simply go to school. Today, however, he felt none of the fear that had plagued him for the past fourteen years.

He was stronger now.

As they raced through the forest, the trees began to thin, and the end was in sight. Noishe only picked up speed as the town gates came into view. The large silver and green dog was panting and Lloyd could feel his sides heaving as he slid to a stop; depositing his master at the gates.

As Lloyd slipped off his ride, the creature collapsed in a hot, panting mess. Lloyd looked down at his friend and smiled.

"Thanks, Noishe, I owe you."

The glittering green eyes peered out at him from a doggish face as if to say "Damn right you do."

Lloyd turned to the gaping town watchmen. Wearing crudely made silver armor and carrying wooden sticks topped with metal tips made by Dirk himself, the only functioning part of the costume, and staring open-mouthed at the sight of the red-clad boy riding a giant silver and green dog.

"Uh… running late, Lloyd?" one stuttered watching Lloyd's movements.

"Yeah, I… overslept." Lloyd grinned. "Could you guys keep an eye on Noishe, please?"

Lloyd didn't wait for an answer before waltzing into the village, for once, having a few minutes to spare.

"Lloyd! Lloyd, you're here!" Lloyd turned to see Genis running toward him, grinning. "I can't believe you made it on time!"

"Heh, I'm not always late!"

"Yeah you are!"

Lloyd just rolled his eyes at his younger friend. "Whatever, come on, let's get to school. Raine'll skin me if I'm late again."

"She's gunna' skin you anyway for that stunt you pulled yesterday!"

Lloyd, who did not even remember what it was that he'd done, was unperturbed. "Eh, whatever. Let's go."

The two friends wandered across town, from the southern entrance to the schoolhouse on the northern side, the side facing the Temple of Martel.

"Colette!" Genis raced off and Lloyd let his friend go. It was relaxing to be back in the quiet village with his friends.

"Oh, Genis, Lloyd, you're early!"

"No, Colette, it's called being on time," Genis corrected the blond Chosen.

The two friends began an excited and animated conversation about nothing. Lloyd watched his friends; the normalcy seeming almost unreal. Thanks to his punctuality, he had some time to spare today and he intended to spend it with his best friends…

However, all too soon, his mind wandered to realms far beyond the small village of Iselia. It was a simple place, where the Goddess and her Church dictated the peoples' thoughts and actions. They knew so little. So too did his friends; it pained him to hear them speaking so excitedly of what was to come in the next hours, talking of the Oracle, the Journey of Regeneration, the Temple…

What hurt more was Colette talking of her own imminent destruction as if she was looking forward to it. Not that Genis would ever understand what was going to happen to her once she "Regenerated" the World. Not now, at any rate.

These dark thoughts were driven from his mind with the arrival of Professor Raine Sage. Her orange coat whispering around her slim form, the silver-haired half-elf stepped into the morning to greet her students.

"Everyone in, it's time for class to start," she commanded, her blue eyes glittering.

Lloyd, Genis, and Colette joined the line that was filling the entrance into the school. The still-chattering group of students quieted and sobered when they stepped into the wooden building. They knew the price of rowdiness around their teacher.

She nodded greetings to each as they entered, smiling softly. When the three friends reached the door, she smiled and greeted the Chosen and her brother, but when it was Lloyd's turn, her eyes widened.

"My goodness, Lloyd, you're on time today? To what do we owe this honor?"

"First time for everything, right?" Lloyd chuckled awkwardly.

"Hmm… I suppose. Nevertheless, you'll still be in back. One day of punctuality does not make up for years of tardiness."

Lloyd inwardly sighed; he knew this was coming, but still…

"Yes Ma'am."

His footsteps filed in behind those of his classmates. He took up silent vigil at the back of the room, or so he preferred to think of it as, and grabbed hold of the wooden buckets of either side of him, one for each hand. They were filled to the brim with cold water; with great practice, a thought that did not please Lloyd, he picked up the buckets without a drop spilling or dampening his red gloves.

He had a feeling it was going to be a long day…

As always, Professor Sage started her lectures; the class settling down into note-taking position and there was little movement but to stand when the teacher addressed you and answer her questions. As she did every year, Raine was speaking on Mithos the Hero's Journey. The morning would be spent with lectures, and the afternoon an oral review.

Lloyd, knowing the information better then Raine herself, at this point was growing bored and tired. How he was tired, he was honestly unsure; he should not have felt any such thing having slept so fitfully the night before.

_I guess old habits really do die hard…_

Even for him, in his state, the return to these old ways was causing his mind to slip into oblivion. Even the excitement of what was to come could not keep his eyes open.

When Raine stopped speaking for a moment, and the freedom of their lunch period was granted and Lloyd set down the pails of water and stretched his sore and aching arms. He followed Genis and Colette into the sunlight courtyard; still in a daze, he sat with them, watched them pull out their food, and begin to eat.

Both glanced at him and their eyes widened. Lloyd blinked himself more fully awake and examined the surprised looks on his friends' faces.

"W-what is it? Do I have something on my face?" Lloyd ran a hand through his spiky, brown hair self-consciously.

"Oh, no, but, um… Lloyd, where's your lunch?"

Lloyd blinked; surprised that they would bring something like this up.

"Oh, I guess I forgot it at Dad's house."

Genis looked disbelieving. "So, let me get this straight, Lloyd; you're on time today _and_ you forgot your lunch? Who are you and what have you done with my best friend?"

"Yeah, Lloyd, it's really unlike you to forget your lunch… Are you hungry? I can share…" Colette looked concernedly at her older friend.

"Wha-? Oh, really, Colette, I'm not hungry. Don't worry about me!" A faked smile slid over Lloyd's face in his attempt to comfort his worried friends. "Trust me, you're way hungrier then I am."

"Are you sure Lloyd?"

"Please, at least take part of my sandwich!" Colette handed Lloyd part of her jelly sandwich.

The red-clad swordsman looked down at the morsel in what he hoped was a thankful face, though, in reality, the idea of putting it in his mouth was… revolting.

"Uh, thanks Colette! Though, really, you need it more than I do…"

After another second of hesitation in which both Colette and Genis looked at Lloyd expectantly, Lloyd put the half sandwich to his lips and took a nibble. He swallowed quickly so as not to have to experience the texture for more than a split-second. When his friends both looked displeased, Lloyd forced himself to take a bigger bite. This, however, meant chewing. Chewing meant texture, and the texture of sugar-soaked bread, chewed to a swallow-able mash, was disgusting. Lloyd focused on the movements of his jaw moving up and down.

When he finally was able to forcibly swallow the stomach-churning mash, his friends seemed satisfied that he would not drop dead on them, and returned to their meals.

Lloyd hated eating certain things; for one, tomatoes, for another, anything that was served simply for taste. Liquids, soft, none-chewing foods, and most meats were decent. However, mushy things such as jam-soaked bread, baked vegetables, and a variety of breads were generally off-limits.

When one could not taste but certain flavors, or feel if something was meant to be served cold, warm, or at room temperature, eating became more of a chore then an enjoyment. A way to proclaim that you were different, rather than provide bonding and enjoyment amongst peers.

Lloyd surreptitiously dumped the rest of Colette's sandwich under the bush he was seated next to. He could not handle any more of it…

Though his ponderings, he had missed the duration of another of his friend's conversations, as well as successfully dropped his guard. He mentally harassed himself for his forgetfulness; he could not put himself nor his friends, in danger simply because of half a sandwich!

"-Lloyd? Lloyd! Sylvarant to Lloyd, come in Lloyd!" cried Genis suddenly. Lloyd's eyes snapped to the silver-haired half-elf, their reddened irises boring into the silver-blue of his friend's. The child flinched at his gaze. "Whoa, did I snap you out of some big revelation?" he teased to cover up his discontentment at his friend's-there was no better word for it-glare. "Goddess, Lloyd, what'd I do?"

Lloyd's eyes softened and he turned away, feeling slightly embarrassed; the nicknamed "Death-Glare" that he had inherited from his father had, along with dozens of other inherited traits, simply become second nature to him. Genis had done nothing wrong.

"Sorry, what's up, Genis?" Lloyd graced over the awkward silence smoothly.

"I was just wondering if you'd actually managed to do your homework. Normally I'd be freaked out, but you've managed to stun everyone today, I figured you might have gotten that done too."

Lloyd's face began to redden; whatever he had accomplished today, unless he'd been sleep-walking, there was no way that he could have done whatever it was that was assigned to them the day before, he had control over only so much, after all…

"I, uh… what was it that we were supposed to do again?"

"Aha! I knew the weirdness had to end somewhere! Lloyd didn't do his homework. We were supposed to read the next two chapters in our book about Mithos the Hero. Sis's gunna' get you for this one!"

However, while Genis had been laughing, a smirk had grown on Lloyd's face. Genis' amusement trailed off and his laughter died in his throat.

"So, the reading was on Mithos, huh? I think I can handle that!"

"Wha-? What are you talking about Lloyd?" Genis gapped at him. "Just yesterday, you said you didn't know the first thing about the Kharlan War, now you think you can pass one of Raine's tests without even doing the homework? How's that supposed to work?"

Even as Genis finished his statement of disbelief, Professor Sage's voice echoed around the courtyard, calling the students to return to class.

"Hey, Genis, if I were to go one-on-one with Mithos in a sword fight, who'd you think would win?"

Genis, recovering from his shock, was pulled in by the normalcy of Lloyd's banter. "Mithos the Hero; hands down."

Lloyd pretended to be hurt and clutched his heart comically.

"Your lack of faith wounds me!"

"Come on, Genis, Lloyd could beat Mithos!" Colette joined in the game. "He's really strong!"

"Only if you mistake stupidity as strength, Colette!"

"Hey!"

And on and on went their play until they reentered the schoolhouse and took up their places around the room. Lloyd, convinced that this time he was going to stay alert, stared out the window for any signs of danger, keeping his ears open for that which his eyes could not pickup.

"Lloyd! Lloyd Irving, wake up!"

Raine's voice cut across Lloyd's focus, snapping him back to reality. His eyes returned to the classroom and locked on the projectile hurtling his way. Out of sheer reflex, Lloyd slipped his hand from the bucket of water, it landed gracefully on the ground next to him, not a drop spilled, and the hand went up to block his face. The glove-covered hand snatched the chalkboard eraser from mid-air and as his fingers closed around it, he brought his arm down to the side, keeping the weapon gripped securely in his hand.

The class gapped at him.

"I-I uh… sorry? Can you repeat the question?"

A very lame ending to a very, very awesome trick; Lloyd spent a split-second mourning the loss of his moment.

"What in the world…? I-I mean, where was the Ancient War ended?"

Lloyd knew the answer to this, it was the same place that the new Tree had sprouted, where the Tower of Salvation was, the point where Sylvarant and Tethe'alla met.

"The Holy Ground of Kharlan? Mithos had the kings of the two warring countries sign a treaty. Afterward, he formed a pact with the Goddess Martel who sealed away the Desians. Whenever the seal weakens, the Desians return and cause havoc in our world. The Journey of Regeneration reseals the Desians and awakens the Goddess who sleeps at the center of the World."

It felt almost like cheating. The whole class was staring in wonder at Lloyd, the idiot, who just answered one of the hardest questions on the _Professor-Sage-Evil-Oral_ as if it was nothing. Lloyd, the kid who was raised to know nothing about the Church of Martel had just practically recited scripture.

In reality, Lloyd, as well as all his friends, had learned to eat, sleep, and breathe this legend. He knew it inside and out, backwards and forwards, and all the fact and fiction that surrounded it. The centuries of legend wound around it were stripped away in Lloyd's mind; leaving only the burning truth. The truth that it was all a lie.

However, by now, it did not hurt. Little could hurt him anymore, and _Mithos the Hero_ was something that he had lost long ago.

Back when he had first started the Journey of Regeneration.

Back before he had saved the world from the _Hero._

Back before he returned to save his friends.

Back before he had gone back in time.

….

_Insert dramatic music here. There's chapter one for you. Hope that whole thing makes more sense now. Further explanations in the next update. Until then, read and review, please!_

_Yours truly,_

_~Yoshi_


	2. Chapter 2

_Time for chapter two._

_There's a bit of a time-skip, but it's not huge, maybe an hour or so. The beginning of this game is so overdone I figured that, by this point, most of us know the finer points of the group getting to Martel Temple, so I moved us ahead. From here, they should move partially into the Temple and I'll finish it up next chapter._

_Enjoy._

….

Lloyd's heart beat as he raced up the stairs toward the glowing Temple of Martel. The landscape was lit with the blue-white glow from the light of the Oracle; one could not look at the Temple without having the image burned into their eyes. The Eternal Swordsman raced ahead of his friends, Genis and Colette panting behind, unable to keep up with their friend's inhuman pace; Lloyd could hear the sounds of armor and weapons meeting above. He hurried toward the grunts of pain and shouts of the dying.

As he met a turn in the winding staircase, the light of the Oracle illuminated the bodies of the fallen. Some were the forms of Renegades fallen for their noble cause, but the majority were the corpses of those who were hired to guard the Temple. The faces of the dead were contorted into their final screams; shouts at their enemies, cries to the Goddess Martel to deliver them. In their last seconds, men had prayed to a woman who could do little more than silently mourn their loss and hope they found happiness.

He heard shocked gasps behind as Genis and Colette rounded the corner only to halt and witness the horror that lay before them. The Renegades played the part of Desians well; severed limbs cluttered the area, heads rolled, and blood stained the green grass red.

He heard a hiccup and turned to see Genis retch in the grass beside the path. He was still very much a child; to see people that were always protecting him slaughtered, lying in front of him… There were times when Lloyd wished that he could do the same, release the guilt inside him by purging his being, but he would only dry-heave: nothing inside him to go. In several years of experience, Lloyd had found that killing did not get any easier; one simply numbed to its effect.

"Just keep going," Lloyd commanded, trying to help his friends.

"B-but, Lloyd, how can you…?"

"Getting to the Oracle alive is way more important. Mourn later, keep going now."

Lloyd looked into Colette's sky-blue eyes and Genis's silver-blue. He saw horror in both; fear of what was to come and the hopelessness of their situation. In Colette's eyes, however, he saw all these things, and the understanding that this was what was to come. This is what she had expected from the beginning; this was why the Desians had to be stopped.

Unfortunately, Lloyd knew two things that she did not; one, these were not Desians, and two, Colette's World Regeneration would not stop the Desians, just relocate them to Tethe'alla.

"We have to go on."

"Yes, come on Genis. We'll be okay, you're the best wizard in Iselia! Between you and Lloyd I'm sure we'll be okay!" Colette's optimism, even if it was half-faked, still seemed to prevail as Genis found the strength to stand and nod.

"A-alright; Sis is here, we have to make sure she's okay too!"

This thought had struck Lloyd long ago; however, he knew from… _experience_ that Raine was safe from the Renegades, wherever she was.

They continued their ascent toward the blinding Temple, as they grew closer the sounds that emanated from above grew louder, causing Lloyd to unconsciously speed up, leaving an exhausted Genis and Colette behind. He reached the top before the other two and could hear the exchange happening but a few feet above his head. He ducked into the bushes to wait for the Chosen and mage to catch up to him and listened in on Botta and Phaidra threaten each other.

"Where is the Chosen?"

"I shall never tell you, Desian."

"Your bravery is admirable, however, I have little patience for those who wish to play hero. Now tell me or die!"

"Never!"

It was then that Colette and Genis caught up with Lloyd. The red-clad swordsman caught the both of them and pulled them into the bushes. They were panting.

"G-Grandma!" cried Colette, softly.

Genis said nothing, unable to even speak around his heavy breathing.

"Here's what we're going to do," stated Lloyd, unnaturally calm, or so it seemed, "I'm going to go up there and distract them; when you see that they're out of your way, grab Phaidra and run to the Temple. Don't wait for me, just go."

"B-but Lloyd—!"

"Please, I can take care of myself. Just go."

The two nodded in sync; Lloyd was almost positive that his plan would not work, and if it did, well, then he was way better at this than he thought.

And he had just messed everything up.

"Whatever happens, be careful."

"You too, Lloyd."

He exchanged a look with Colette; within he saw all the adoration that she had for him. Adoration that, he knew, he did not deserve. Putting his hand on Genis's shoulder, he said simply, "Keep her safe," before disappearing from their view onto the battleground above.

For a long moment, Botta and the Renegades around him did not notice his appearance. Their attention stayed focused on the resentful old woman in front of them. Phaidra, however, saw him immediately and he hushed her with one red-sheathed finger to his lips. She replied with naught but a blink.

"Grr… Lord Botta, let's just get rid of this old bat, we don't have time for this!" growled one of the Renegades. The other grunted in agreement and Botta looked between his two wingmen; unsure whether to take their advice or not.

"Hmm… This is your final warning; tell us where the Chosen is, or we shall kill you."

"And this is your only warning, Botta; get the hell out of here!"

Botta spun 'round to face the defiant teenager before him. Lloyd had his wooden blades out and had naturally slid into a defensive stance. The wingmen, two that Lloyd had never heard the names of, both began to laugh at the stupid kid standing in front of them; what was he thinking taking on a bunch of Desians alone?

"Or what, brat, you gunna hit us with your toys?"

"Actually, that doesn't sound like a bad idea!" snapped Lloyd and, before the Renegade could respond, or even react, Lloyd had slammed the hilt of his "toy" into the weak spot on the Renegade's helmet. The man collapsed into a heap. Botta and the other man were both gaping at Lloyd who had fallen back into his defensive stance.

"Who the hell is this kid?" growled the other grunt. "He knocked Casimir out cold!"

"I haven't got a clue. He wasn't in the briefing," muttered Botta back. "Hell, I don't think anyone knew he existed."

Lloyd rolled his eyes; no, no one would have heard of him. He was just some kid in some out-of-the-way town playing with wooden swords that his daddy made for him.

"Well," grumbled Botta, "_get_ him."

Without word or warning, the other Renegade ran forward, blade raised to strike, when a fireball flew at him and slammed into his side, burning away at armor and flesh. He screamed in pain and fury as another hit his raised hand.

"Damek!" called Botta, "Damn kids!"

Lloyd turned to see, to his horror, Colette and Genis standing wide-open for attack to his left. The Renegade, Damek, seemed to recover from the initial shock of having flames tossed at him and, upon finding that the burns were nothing but what one could get by touching a hot pan, turned back to Lloyd with a somewhat animal look in his eyes.

"You're going down, Brat!"

Lloyd was forced to block a series of strong blows that, though they did little more than cause Lloyd to have to readjust his balance, stopped him from running over to where Botta and several other Renegades were advancing on Colette and Genis.

Genis was chanting softly to himself while Colette tossed her rings at the advancing men. They did little to stop, or even slow down, the on-coming threat. Colette cried out as one of the men got close enough to take a swing at her.

"Chosen!" cried Phaidra.

"Ah, so then this girl is the Chosen," said Botta, though his tone was that of triumph, as were his words, Lloyd could see the sadness flash through his eyes at the thought of having to kill such an innocent girl.

"Grandmother!"

Lloyd saw the world flash before his eyes as another attempt was made at Colette's life, one that she only just missed. With a burst of power, Lloyd slashed at the man in front of him.

"Raging Tiger Blade!" he shouted, and his arms moved at a blinding pace as he cut down the Renegade in front of him. He brought one sword up and sliced him across the chest while the other slid cross-wise; creating a bloody X on the man's chest. Even as he did this, he heard Colette's scream and Genis's cries of panic. Then, something that made his heart stop; the sound of metal on metal.

He turned to see Colette and Genis crouched on the ground, blood surrounding them; the blood of the Renegade that had lashed out at them and a figure donned in a deep purple, almost black, standing protectively in front of them. Lloyd felt his heart start again.

Kratos was there to save the day, as usual.

"Tempest!" with those words Lloyd leapt from the ground, using his swords to create momentum and, as he cut down the swaying man, flung himself across the tiny stone platform to where Genis and Colette were. "You guys okay?"

He was forced to be satisfied with the jerky nods that he got in response because Kratos, though Lloyd was not technically supposed to know it was he yet, snapped at him to stay out of the way. Lloyd rolled his eyes at his father's over-protectiveness.

"Not a chance," Lloyd grinned as he sent double shock-waves at an approaching Renegade, knocking him to the ground where Lloyd was able to step on his leg, snapping the bone and rendering him unable to move. "You take right, I'll take left."

Lloyd knew Kratos hated being ordered about, especially under circumstances such as these, however, there was no way that Lloyd was going have the lack of respect that he had received from the man the last time that these events had taken place. Though Kratos seemed displeased, he did as Lloyd commanded, and, as the last of the Renegades fell, Lloyd's all unconscious or unable to fight and Kratos's dead, Botta backed away, calling for Vidarr.

"If you would be so kind as to get your ass out here, we are in a rather desperate situation, Master Vidarr!"

Lloyd had forgotten just how disgustingly, utterly, enormously _large_ Vidarr was. He was practically one-and-a-half of Kratos who was, by no means, particularly short. He towered over them, several hundred, or, rather, _thousand_ pounds of muscle and fat that made even hurting him into an almost impossible business. The ball-and-chain that he held in his right hand must have weighed at least two tons, but the giant swung it recklessly at the party of four.

Kratos grabbed Colette and Lloyd Genis as the spiked end of the ball imbedded into the ground where they had been standing but moments before. Genis and Colette both cried out and Kratos swore vehemently. Lloyd could not help but agree; this was going to be a tough battle no matter how skilled one was.

Lloyd dropped Genis with a sharp "get casting!" and sent a pair of demon fangs toward Vidarr, whose attention was focused on the slightly more important, and intimidating, pair of Kratos and Colette. When Lloyd's attack hit him squarely in the back, the man roared and swung 'round to lash out at Lloyd. Lloyd had begun to run as soon as he had unleashed the move and was sufficiently far away from the frantically casting Genis when the ball-and-chain only nearly missed him. The crater that it left in the ground was twice the size of Lloyd's head, and a foot deep.

The thought of his pierced and crushed corpse, or the corpses of any of his friends, in place of the grass and dirt was enough to keep Lloyd running. He hopped that Kratos would see what he was trying to do, play distraction, and that the Seraph would hurry and intervene.

Kratos, hardly unaware of what Lloyd was doing, was hurriedly getting into the best position to strike down the giant without too much hassle. He kept behind the Renegade, silently moving, his red eyes searching for a crack in the armor, anything to manipulate and turn to his advantage. Then, he found it; it was nothing but a tiny crack in the leather vest that was too small for his large frame. Obviously, his tactics tended toward keeping his enemies far away from him while he attacked long-range.

With a soft grunt, Kratos jabbed his sword into the rip and a shout of "Sonic Thrust", waves ripped though Vidarr's being, tearing at the little slice and making it bigger, causing blood to run faster. He turned almost in slow motion to look in horror at the auburn-haired man with his sword in his back. Kratos had been in luck; the rip had been right over his spine, and as Vidarr toppled over, Lloyd could see the severed bone sticking up, white against crimson.

"D-damn it…" growled Botta, looking worried. "I'd hoped you wouldn't show up…" He looked around at his fallen comrades, some of which were standing, looking faintly dizzy or pained, some of which were helping the injured to their feet. Of the dozen or so men that had been at the Temple entrance with Botta, only about half were still breathing. "Retreat for now. Chosen, next we meet, I will stop you!"

The robe-wearing man raced past and, helping one of the fallen, hurried down the winding staircase. The other men retreated behind, looked exhausted but, overall, better off than the men whom had faced Kratos.

"W-wow, Lloyd, you guys were completely amazing! You saved us!" Colette looked between he and Kratos as if unsure who to thank first.

"Yeah, Lloyd, I didn't know you could fight like that!" Genis seemed honestly impressed, which did not happen often.

Lloyd looked at Kratos who looked bored. His eyes were lifeless and cold; Lloyd knew that his father was only there to get this job done and return to his home, or whatever business he had left unfinished. To escort the Chosen. He could hardly blame the man; the Journey would end up taking nearly a year to complete, and that was only the Sylvarant portion of the Journey to World Regeneration. If he were in Kratos's position, he would have a hard time putting down his life in favor of it as well…

"Indeed, we all would have been killed by the Desians had the two of you had not have shown such bravery." Phaidra cut across Lloyd's thoughts and, apparently, Kratos's.

"It was nothing, I heard what was happening and came to help while on my way through."

Faintly, Lloyd realized just how weak an excuse this was; the Temple lead to a dead end, the area was surrounded by mountainous hills and they were surrounded by steep-edged coast. There was nowhere for him to be coming from nor going. Unless, of course, one could fly. Luckily for Kratos, Lloyd was on his side; he could not imagine this journey without the strong, merciless mercenary along with them.

"Grandmother, I need to accept the Oracle," begged Colette, "please, let me go in!"

"Chosen, I would, but the priests fell at the hands of the Desians…"

"Then I'll protect Colette," said Lloyd confidently. "It's no problem."

"Lloyd?" Lloyd was confident that after what Phaidra had seen of his skills, there was no way that she could not want him to go. "I would be uncomfortable with just you…"

Lloyd felt the ground drop out from underneath his feet. How could she say that? Lloyd was the best swordsman in Iselia; he had defeated the "Desians" that had destroyed the Temple Guard! Now Phaidra was saying that she did not only he guarding Colette? Who better?

"Your… name is Lloyd?" Kratos was staring at Lloyd and, though he knew why, Lloyd still felt as though he was being x-rayed. He always felt like he was being tested when Kratos favored him with what was not exactly a glare… but could easily be mistaken for one.

"Yeah," Lloyd felt the cockiness that had been his bane in youth rising to the surface and he could not help but take a jab at him, "but who are you to ask for my name?"

There was a collective sigh from Genis and Phaidra and Kratos looked quizzically at Lloyd.

"… I am Kratos, a mercenary, if you can pay me, I will accept the job of guarding the Chosen."

Lloyd could see the cogs turning inside the Seraph's head as he took in the strange happenings that surrounded the Journey of Regeneration. He could easily put himself in the position that Kratos was in; a strangely talented teenager with the same name and age as his long-lost son, a half-elf mage that could hardly make a fireball let alone touch any of the monsters in the Temple. The Chosen who could not stand up straight, and an old woman who was the only one that had made it out of a Renegade attack alive.

"Would you?" croaked Phaidra, "That would certainly guarantee the Chosen's safe journey to the Oracle."

Lloyd felt insulted, he had never felt particularly resentful toward Phaidra, but, in retrospect, he was finding her to be rather resentful in respect to his situation. She would rather entrust the savior of the World to a stranger then to a heretic. Perhaps he was simply being bitter; however, that was what he was seeing.

"Then we can both go!" cried Lloyd, desperate, he would go whether they let him or not, nevertheless, he would have preferred an invitation rather than inviting himself. "The more people there are guarding Colette, the safer she'll be! Genis and I can help!"

Genis looked horrified that he was being dragged into another of Lloyd's shenanigans; though he had had his fair share of goes as well. "W-wait, why do I have to go?"

"Don't you want to help protect Colette?" Genis _had_ to go; he was going to go even if Lloyd had to drag him in by the tips of his pointy half-elven ears. The child seemed the sense what his friend was thinking because he nodded and pulled out his kendama, "Yeah… of course I do…"

"Right, so that makes four of us."

By now, of course, Kratos was glaring, and Phaidra looked mildly surprised that Lloyd was pushing so passionately to help the Church. He could see that she was beginning to sway toward their cause. Besides the mercenary, it was true that Lloyd was one of the better swordsmen in the Village, and she had just seen him defeat an army of Desians. Saying no would be denying a gift from the Goddess herself perhaps…

"I suppose that is true…"

Kratos was appalled. "You cannot be serious, Mother Phaidra," he growled, "To send children on this mission is to send them to their deaths."

"Master Kratos, you have seen Lloyd's skills, he and Genis will help."

"Mister Kratos, if you don't mind, I want Lloyd and Genis to come along… they're my friends, and I feel really worried when Lloyd's not around…"

Kratos, knowing full well that he was completely over-ruled, growled something about it "not being a fieldtrip" that Lloyd had recalled hearing the last time that he had followed Kratos into the Temple and a small smile graced his lips as he and Genis followed Colette and Kratos into the dark insides of the Temple of Martel.

_So far, so good, but this is only the very beginning; if I want my mission to succeed, then I am going to have to keep _everything_ identical to how it happened the first time._

"Lloyd, are your sword techniques self-taught?"

_Not really, I learned most of them from you._

"Sort of, mostly, I guess. I've still got a ton to learn though."

Trying to keep his dialogue light and… childish was beginning to irritate Lloyd. Most of his initial reactions were a lot more intelligent; however, even he knew that as a seventeen-year-old, he was not particularly bright. He would not suddenly "grow a brain" as Genis had once put it. Nevertheless, it did not stop him from getting a headache every time he had to rethink his words.

"I see, if that be the case, then you are surprisingly experienced for one your age." Though Lloyd's heart soared, he could tell that the compliment was given grudgingly. "However," this was what he had been expecting, "you do, indeed, have much to learn, pay attention and you might learn something."

Mentally, Lloyd rolled his eyes; he had beat Kratos at his best, but, he supposed, that would never stop the natural superiority complex that his father suffered from. The fact that Lloyd had not yet beaten him did not help either; this was something that bothered Lloyd greatly.

His frustration rose to the surface and Lloyd snapped back sarcastically, "Well then, almighty one, why don't you show me just how _great_ you are and I'll try to learn!"

There was a long pause and silence reigned as father and son stared each other down, both unwilling to give up. After what felt like much longer than it was, Lloyd gave in, deciding that it was less humiliating for him to lose to someone who he knew was his father than for Kratos to lose to someone who may—or may not—be his son. Lloyd averted his eyes and said softly, "Sorry; that was uncalled for…"

"Humph, indeed." Despite the fact that he had "won," Kratos seemed less than thrilled; apparently he was able to tell an immediate similarity between the two of them. When Lloyd had been practicing editing his appearance, returning to the body of his seventeen-year-old self, he had found that the red tint that had taken his eyes as he matured further didn't want to leave. He had simply hoped that no one would notice.

"Um, I'm sorry, but shouldn't we go?" asked Colette innocently. Genis nodded behind her, apparently none too thrilled to get between the glaring swordsmen.

"Right." Lloyd nodded, and Kratos simply turned and walked away, saying nothing. Lloyd hoped that he would not act so resentful for the rest of the Journey.

…

"What do you _mean_ the door's locked?" shrilled Genis, "How are we supposed to get to the Oracle?"

"The Sorcerer's Ring might be able to open it…" Colette was trying to be helpful.

"Let me guess," grumbled Lloyd, "The Sorcerer's Ring in somewhere in the middle of the Temple and we're going to have to fight monsters and figure out puzzles to get it all in the name of the Goddess Martel."

Everyone eyed Lloyd wearily; the swordsman was suddenly moody, but he did not care. Why did Phaidra not trust him to look after Colette even after she had seen his skills! And Kratos, he had forgotten how full of himself Kratos had acted at the beginning of the Journey…

"Well, I know it's somewhere in the Temple…"

"Figures," muttered Lloyd, "Well, come on, Dad'll skin me if I'm not home for dinner."….

_Mmkay, that's that then. A couple weeks and I'll have chapter three up, that'll finish off the Temple and we can move on to the more amusing plot. Sorry there wasn't much explanation, but we'll get to it…eventually._

_Until next time,_

_~Yoshi_


	3. Chapter 3

_Konnichiwa!_

_Kay, this chapter took me _ages_ to finish, when I first started writing this, it was left off half-way through this chapter in favor of writing other things, namely UR. Sooo glad that's over, have I mentioned that lately? No? I am. As fun as it was, it got a little too crackish for me. _

_Ahem, anyway, lots of interaction here, a bit of humor, oh, and an asshole-…I-I mean _angel…_ Stupid Remiel, I really hate that guy. He's so fun to write! Enjoy!_

…

Lloyd felt as if he was being watched. When he turned to see if it was his friends or father doing so, he saw that all seemed to be focused on other things. Kratos looking around like a good mercenary; Genis and Colette having a hushed conversation about… whatever it was, Lloyd figured it would be rude to eavesdrop, that was until he heard his name, of course.

"…been acting so weird today."

"Maybe he slept funny…"

"Colette, that's no reason to totally change your habits!"

"Oh, I guess…"

Lloyd swallowed; apparently he wasn't doing such a great job of acting like…himself. Or, more accurately, acting like his _old_ self. He thought frantically, trying to find some way of reassuring his friends that he was…_him_. This was getting to be more of a hassle than he'd first thought it would. He was probably having no trouble with Kratos who, though at the moment he did not like Lloyd much, could not know that he was acting out of the ordinary.

Everything was so confusing…

"So, Colette, you've been in the Temple, right?" he kept his voice light and his words simple, "Where's this ring-thingy?"

"Oh," Colette seemed happy to hear some of Lloyd's normalcy. "Somewhere deeper in; actually, I've never been in this far…"

"It's really dark in here for it to be all Church-y. Isn't your Goddess all about light and… that stuff?"

"Yeah, but most of the Temple is for the trials. So it's going to be scary and dark."

"If you say so, I'm just here as your escort."

Genis gaped, "Lloyd, since when do you know the word 'escort'?"

Lloyd swore mentally, he had, for want of a better term, screwed up majorly and he swallowed. "Oh, come on Genis, I can't hang out with you and the Professor for five years and _not_ know some things!"

"Mmhmm…" Genis seemed unimpressed by his friend's excuse, and Lloyd could not blame him; it had been weak…

Lloyd jumped to change the subject; unfortunately, he had absolutely_ nothing_ to say… He floundered for a moment before catching the sound of Kratos' footsteps.

Bingo!

"So, Kratos, where are you from?" Lloyd injected his voice with heavily layered brightness and curiosity. He was unsure how easy it was for him to be seen through, but it was worth a shot.

"…" Kratos glanced up at him, his red eyes sweeping over Lloyd and meeting his. As red met red, Lloyd noticed Kratos's eyes widen ever so slightly in recognition: Kratos knew that he was Lloyd, not that he would say anything. "…I do not _come_ from anywhere, in the sense that you are referring to."

"So you just travel a lot? You don't settle down or anything?" Lloyd wanted the limelight away from himself quite badly.

"More or less; it is how I retain my livelihood."

"Oh, so does that mean you don't have a family, Mister Kratos?" Colette piped up, instantly willing to join in the game.

"…" Kratos eyes subtly flickered to Lloyd before back to the blond Chosen, "No."

Genis, though he was less willing to stray to the new topic than Colette, was, too, curious about the mysterious mercenary. "So what? That's all you do; fight, do escorts, you're just a sell-sword?" They way he said it, his childish tone filled with scorn, made it sound like a very low-life job.

Kratos obviously caught the contempt, as he turned a dangerous glare on Genis. Lloyd mentally cringed in sympathy, Genis was lucky he didn't burst into flame simply from Kratos looking at him, but when the full-force of the "death-glare…" Even Lloyd wanted to melt, and he could at least expect it. Genis paled, and the little half-elf seemed on the verge of passing out when Lloyd stepped in to save his friend.

"Well, you're pretty good at fighting; you must get a lot of jobs." Kratos seemed caught off-guard by the benevolent statement and turned to look at Lloyd, the surprise well-masked. "Right?"

"I…suppose…" He spent a moment studying Lloyd. Lloyd simply grinned back, his father's eyes swept over him. "And what of yourself…Lloyd, correct? Your father knows that you are here?"

"Well…he knew I'd be a bit late to dinner because today is the Regeneration and everything, but I guess he doesn't know I'm _here_ exactly…" Lloyd rubbed the back of his head with one gloved hand. "But he won't mind…"

"He hardly sounds like much of a responsible parent…"

"I _like _my dad, thanks!" Lloyd felt his eye twitch in irritation, his father was such an_ ass!_ But Kratos was turning the tables on their conversation as effortlessly as Lloyd had begun it. Colette and Genis, appearing content to watch the swordsmen's verbal battle, only encouraged the change with silence.

"You said you lived with your father…in Iselia?" His stupid father was asking stupid loaded questions!

Lloyd sighed; he was almost tempted just to keep walking…or to answer all of his questions with every single detail just to watch his face. "Nah, outside of Iselia. It's just Dad, Noshy—Noishe is my dog—and me. Dad's a craftsman; he does all sorts of forging and stuff."

He watched in well hidden amusement as surprise and confusion flashed across his father's austere features. "Forging is a…strange profession…"

"He's a dwarf, not that weird." Lloyd kept his voice light and cheerful as he walked ahead of the party.

"I…see." Kratos was slowly putting the pieces together in his head. "So you are…adopted?"

"Dad found me. Long story, don't wanna get into it." Blunt? Perhaps, but he had every reason to not wish to get into_ that_ conversation with a complete stranger in the middle of a monster-infested Temple.

Kratos, though he was obviously curious, restrained himself and allowed the conversation to drop.

By this time they were very deep into the temple, the winding halls and seemingly endless corridors twisted their way deeper and deeper into the hillside. It was freezing inside the Temple and slightly claustrophobic as the halls seemed to shrink as they moved deeper in. Suddenly Lloyd, who was at the front of the group having taken point with Colette and Genis sandwiched between he and Kratos, who had taken the back, nearly tumbled down the stairs. His sudden stop caused Colette and Genis to run into his back, but he heard Kratos stop in time so as to not slam into the small half-elf.

"Lloyd?" he questioned quietly from the back, "what is it?"

"Stairs."

There was a collective sigh as the rest of the small party realized that there was no impending doom looming ahead.

"Well, move ahead, I doubt they will bite." Kratos' words were cool and demeaning, but Lloyd ignored them and began down the stairs, careful of any cracks in the stone in case the ancient slabs decided to give out under his feet. The old stonework was suspended over what looked like a bottomless pit below. There were several platforms, one of which he was leading them toward, that were suspended in a similar manner down into the dark.

It was cool, freezing actually, and as Lloyd carefully took one step at a time, he saw his breath form misty, ghostly shapes against the dark.

"Careful guys…" he warned, "Don't trip…" As he said it, he heard a soft 'oh' from Colette. Genis sucked in a gasp and Kratos swore, but, even as he tried to dodge around Genis and reach the falling Chosen, he found the path to be too narrow for him to get though.

Lloyd spun and his hand flashed out, catching hold of the back of Colette's dress, her torso dangled impossibly over the dark void, but her feet were planted on the ground, white boots scuffed with the dirt from the tunnels. Colette's blue eyes were wide with fear and, as she realized that she wasn't going to fall, she began to shake. "L-Lloyd…?"

"I gotcha, don't worry." Lloyd grinned as he righted Colette. Genis and Kratos breathed a sigh of relief.

"Good catch Lloyd…" Genis didn't even bother to insult him.

"…indeed…"

"Heh, thanks, come on Colette, stay up here so you don't fall, kay?"

"Okay…thanks Lloyd!" When Lloyd looked down and met the Chosen's eyes, her cheeks began to redden. This, of course, caused the same to happen to Lloyd.

He looked away, at the same moment Genis cleared his throat, "Would you to save it for later…like, when_ we're_ not around?"

"Shut up, Genis!" Lloyd only turned more red, it was _embarrassing_, especially in front of his Dad…

Lloyd was careful to keep a hand on Colette's shoulder, but not be _too_ close, lest he be teased by Genis…or give Colette the wrong idea.

After several minutes of decent, the ground leveled out and changed. From rough stone steps to almost-clear green glass, through the glass Lloyd could see more paths of stone beneath them, and, far in front of them, another set of steps leading lower.

"Whoa…" muttered Genis, "Who'd have thought all this was under here…?"

At that moment, from across the glassy platform, a cry echoed through the room. The small group turned, Kratos now joining them on flat ground, and stared wide-eyed as a large stone Golem lumbered toward them. It was obviously heavy and it shocked Lloyd that it didn't break the glass. It screamed again and charged at them.

"Be on your guard…" hissed Kratos softly, "Golems have no eyes, but they can sense you."

The monster reached them and swung its fist down against the glass, the shock wave sending Lloyd, Genis, and Colette tumbling back, but Kratos stayed—seemingly effortlessly—on his feet. He leapt forward and slashed at its arm. Metal clanged against stone and a few small sparks flew. Lloyd jumped to his feet and raced from the other side, taking advantage of Kratos's distraction, and lodged his sword between the body of the Golem and the rock that made up his upper thigh.

The Golem _howled_ and turned to lash out at Lloyd, Lloyd jumped back in time to just miss its arm, crashing down toward him. Lloyd swore loudly and stumbled back. Kratos took advantage of the Golem's furious distraction and shoved his sword through the monster's middle. The Golem let out one last monstrous bellow and folded into itself. The stone merged into itself and solidified into an intricately carved stone block.

"W-what just…?" Genis gasped. He had not even bothered to move more than just stand, but at least he had managed to stand protectively in front of Colette, the blond Chosen peering over his shoulder.

"T-that thing was _huge…"_ gasped Lloyd softly, though, in reality, it hadn't been much more than an adrenaline rush for him.

"Humph, you are inexperienced…" Kratos only muttered it, but Lloyd heard it. He gritted his teeth and muttered under his breath too quietly for even Kratos to hear.

"So…what do we do with this?" asked Genis, motioning toward the huge block.

"Not a damn clue…" Lloyd was not going to wow his friends and father by explaining and further blowing his cover, instead, he would let Colette demonstrate. This she did, as the blond Chosen approached the block to get a better view of the gently glowing swirls that decorated the sides of the stone, Colette leaned—at least for her—too far over, and began to fall. It was a short tumble, and Colette reached out to steady herself on the block, only to find it slide easily from beside her and disappear down one of the holes that dotted the green glass platform. Unfortunately, she only caught a few seconds of its movement as, a moment later, she landed painfully on her stomach with a small grunt.

"Oww…" She stood, blinking dazedly and rubbing what Lloyd was sure would be a large bump on her head by the time they left the Temple.

"Chosen, are you alright?" It was obvious that Lloyd's father was realizing that Colette's clumsiness was a reoccurring phenomenon. And that, with Colette, the trips, falls, scrapes, and tumbles were generally…lucky. In fact, Lloyd couldn't recall a time when one of her trips hadn't _saved_ them.

"Wait…" Genis was the only one who seemed more concerned with the stone block than Colette, "Look what happened when the block fell! Down below, there are a bunch of holes, but when Colette pushed the block down, it created a path across! I bet that means that these battles are part of the Goddess's trial, and we're getting close to the Sorcerer's Ring!"

Between Kratos, Colette, and Genis, they quickly worked out the pattern that Lloyd remembered from their last visit to the Temple of Martel. It was not long before another Golem appeared, bringing with it another battle, this one far faster than the last as they had learned the creature's weak spot, and another block was formed. This joined the other below and, before long, they had created a successful pathway to where they _hoped_ the Sorcerer's Ring was.

It was Kratos's turn to lead the way down another set of narrow stone steps to the lower floor, Lloyd going the whole way with a protective hand on Colette's shoulder. After he stepped off the stairs and onto solid ground, Lloyd felt himself release the breath that he hadn't realized he had been holding, wandering around on the nearly clear floor above them had put him on edge, worrying over what would happen if the floor gave out during one of their battles with the extremely heavy Golems. Now that he could not see through the floor, he felt much safer.

Kratos strolled smoothly ahead, Genis behind him, looking around him with fascinated, glittering eyes, while Colette hung further back, keeping Lloyd company.

"…I'm sure the Sorcerer's Ring is close, Lloyd." She sounded upbeat, but Lloyd wondered just how tired she was; Colette, though she had learned to defend herself from a young age, was not used to much hard exercise or continuous battle. Neither, for that matter, was Genis. Despite his bright, wide eyes, Lloyd could tell that the young half-elf was growing tired as well.

"I bet you're right, I mean, how much bigger can the Temple be? It's built into a hill, you can only fit so much inside!" He grinned back at her.

More steps, many, _many_ more steps, several shaking, Golem-block bridges, and another near-fall from Colette later, the small group of four made it to the deepest level of the Martel Temple. From their platform, they had ascended a long set of stone stairs, these more claustrophobic that those that they had descended earlier as they had led them straight into a stone wall, though a winding passage, until they had arrived in a tiny chamber, lit by the glowing apparatus that held the Sorcerer's Ring.

"Whoa…" Genis' silver-blue eyes were lit with red and Lloyd could almost believe that Genis, like his sister, was in some sort of Ruin Mode. "So this is the Sorcerer's Ring… This is so cool!"

"Yes, I've heard the Priests talk about it, it holds some of the Goddess's power and will help us get to the upper chamber where I can receive the Oracle…" Colette reached out a hesitant hand out and pulled the Ring from its place. The light dimmed as she removed the power source, and Genis squeaked with surprise at the sudden darkness.

"…we should go," stated Kratos in a dull monotone. "With luck, our movements won't have attracted more monsters." His soft footsteps began in the direction that they had come. Lloyd heard Colette and Genis's footsteps follow his father's, but Lloyd hung back for a moment, just listening.

There were no signs of monsters too close from what he could tell, and after the echo of the chambers below and the loud noises of battle, Lloyd's ears had grown tired. In the small chamber, with his friends' footsteps and heartbeats growing fainter by the second, all that made sound with the sound of the stone whispering as it moved upon itself, speaking of ages past and ages to come—or so an old Dwarvish proverb claimed—and the soft _drip, drip_ of water droplets as they descended from the small stalactites above.

He took a deep breath, and the cold, slightly musty air of the chamber swirled into his lungs.

Suddenly, a _thump, thump, thump_—a heart beating—interrupted his silence, and Lloyd's eyes flashed open, already used to the dim light of the cavern, he saw his father, watching him with cold eyes.

"Why didn't you come?" he growled softly, "You are not only holding up the expedition, but putting yourself in danger. Do _not_ let your guard down!"

Lloyd felt part of himself grow angry and insulted at his father's words: how_ dare_ he say that Lloyd was letting his guard down! Lloyd was hearing as much as the man in front of him was! But he suppressed it, looking away awkwardly and rubbing the back of his head. "S-sorry Kratos, it's just really peaceful here, that's all, and I'm kinda tired from running all over the place… I'm coming." Lloyd hated to swallow his pride, and doubted he could do it again if his father pushed him much farther. Lloyd started off again, Kratos falling in behind him.

Retracing their steps through the Temple, now with their prized Ring, was just as dull and tedious as their first voyage through, and, in Lloyd's opinion, it seemed to take _longer_ than the way in. Finally, however, they reached the split where they had entered the Temple. It was very tempting for Lloyd to want to race toward the large doors where he saw sunlight filtering though, but he resisted, and took another dark tunnel deep into the Temple again.

"So…we have the Ring, how do we get rid of _this_ stupid thing?" Lloyd motioned to the barrier separating them for the warp pad not five feet away.

"W-well…" Colette looked at the little Ring in her hand, the band made of almost red-looking gold while the small red gem set in it glittered almost wickedly. "I've never actually_ used_ it before, but the scriptures said that it was one of a set of two, given to Spiritua, the first Chosen, when she went on her Journey…"

"Well, maybe if you just touch the Ring to it, it'll go away…" Genis suggested. "At least it's worth a shot, right?"

But when Colette, nodding and smiling, pressed the Ring up against the barrier, there was a sizzling noise and, as if there was suddenly many watts of electricity coursing through her, Colette's hair stood on end. Then she was shoved back several feet, landing gracelessly on her backside, the Ring flying from her hands and clattering musically on the floor at Lloyd's feet.

Genis and even Kratos turned their attention to Colette, but Lloyd stooped to grab the Ring and, sliding it on his finger, he gently willed it to release its power. There was a small tingling sensation, and a burst of fire spun out of the gem and collided with the force field. For a moment, it was as if the two mana types struggled against one another, but after only a few moments, the barrier fell and Lloyd turned smiling sheepishly, to his friends. "Well…I didn't think _that_ would work…" He ran his fingers through his hair, "I guess it likes me!"

Genis' eyes were wide and surprised as he looked at his friend, his dim-witted, moronic, and—for want of a better word—_goofy_ friend had just solved their puzzle, not to mention making a complex magical item work for him. "I-impressive Lloyd…"

"…indeed…" Kratos didn't sound all that pleased,_ or_ impressed.

"Yeah! I guess you're the one meant to use it, I don't think it likes me too much…" Colette blushed, "You can hang onto it, kay?"

"Mmkay, thanks Colette!"

Lloyd could tell that Kratos did not care or approve of these arrangements, but Kratos could also tell that it was none of his business or concern who got to play with the Sorcerer's Ring. The mercenary just sighed and moved ahead, placing a commanding hand on Colette's shoulder as he steered the blond Chosen toward the warp pad and the Oracle above them.

Lloyd had never liked warping; even as a human, when his senses had been far more dulled than they were at the moment, he had felt almost sick as his body stretched and disintegrated only to be reformed some ways away. But, as an angel, Lloyd could literally_ feel_ the tiny bits of him fluttering though space and rejoining, he could_ hear_ every movement and the squelch of atoms being reformed by mana as he felt himself be put back together. It made him feel sick.

When Lloyd opened his eyes, however, he managed to forget the pain in his stomach with the distraction of the bright light of the Oracle shining down on them. This room, unlike the rest of the Temple which was, obviously, dark and rather scary, this room was decorated with worn but bright colors and every wall was made of arching windows that opened to the sunny sky above them.

"Chosen," Kratos said quietly, "call the Oracle."

Colette stepped forward, and suddenly she did not look like an awkward, clumsy sixteen-year-old, but the Chosen One, ready to accept the fate of the World on her shoulders. Little did she know what that truly meant. It meant sacrificing herself and an entire other world of people to save the world she loved. Lloyd knew that Colette would not think twice about self-sacrifice in favor of saving those she held dear, but she would not tolerate the loss of other innocent lives.

"Goddess Martel," she called out, her voice full of the authority that the Chosen should have, "accept my prayer, your Chosen has come to fulfill her duty and accept the Oracle." Her hands clasped in front on her, but instead of her head being bowed, her bright blue eyes faced toward the ceiling and the opening that Remiel would descend through.

As called, it was the Guardian Angel himself that entered the room, his blond hair slicked back under his priestly hat. His green and white robes were decorated with rich gold, but that was not what caught the eye, no, it was Remiel's wings. They were huge, wide and pristinely white, not a feather was out of place, and Genis and Colette gaped in awe as they stared up at him. Lloyd felt no want to watch the heartless man above him play with his friends' emotions, but were he to look away, he would be found out by, at the very least, his father.

Speaking of his father, Lloyd glanced out of the corner of his eye at the mercenary; his father was tense, almost angry as he watched the other angel. His hand hovered over his sword's hilt and his jaw was set in such a way that led Lloyd to believe that he was clenching his teeth.

Remiel began to speak: "Colette, the seventh Chosen, the Chosen of Regeneration, do you swear to take this Journey to restore the mana to your world and revive the Goddess Martel?" Behind the dramatic, commanding voice of the Angel, there was a soft, bitter scathing that sent shivers up Lloyd's spine. Even as Remiel held Colette and Genis in awe, he mocked them and their beliefs.

"I do so solemnly swear." Colette looked up at the angel with almost no fear as she accepted her deadly task.

"Then I bestow upon you your Cruxis Crystal, the sign of your position, and upon this world, We of Cruxis grant you the Tower of Salvation."

The angel pointed a majestic finger out of the far window to where an _enormous_ Tower now stood: the Tower of Salvation. Lloyd _hated_ that Tower, he hated it with a burning passion, for he had lost so many friends there, been betrayed so many times, it was a heartache to even look at it from thousands of miles away.

The Tower of Salvation reached up toward the Heavens and Mithos's kingdom. A perfectly erected monument to the Angels, it was made of pure white stone and carved with twisting symbols of a language so old that it was forgotten even to the Elves. It glittered majestically in the afternoon sunlight. The others' eyes widened, even Kratos's did slightly, but as Lloyd stared at it, his thoughts settled on only one thing: Mithos's icy blue eyes as he watched Lloyd and his friends struggle weakly against them. He dreaded the idea that it would happen again, but it would, if everything went according to plan…

Remiel called them all to attention once again, "Now Chosen One, set off to the south, to the fiery haven of the Gods and begin your Journey to become an Angel." With these words meant in parting, Remiel's cold eyes lifted from Colette and toward the sky from which he had come and began to fly upwards away from them.

"W-wait!" Suddenly, Colette's blue eyes are slightly panicked, "My Lord, is it true that you are my father!"

At this question, Remiel returned his emotionless gaze to Colette, "Go toward the Seal and save the World, my beloved daughter." With these final words, the Angel was gone.

Lloyd felt sick, how _dare_ that bastard lie to an innocent girl like Colette! How dare he use her! He felt his fists clench as he stared at the space where the Angel had disappeared.

"Wow Colette!" Genis's words broke through his fury, "You're really the daughter of an _Angel!_ And you're going on a Journey to save the whole World! This is the coolest thing ever!"

Lloyd gritted his teeth, but…something had to be said; Colette and Genis turned both their sets of blue eyes on him and he forced his jaw to loosen and a light-hearted grin to lighten his features, "Yeah Colette! I _know_ you'll do great!"

….

_Promise, lots of drama next chapter, lots and lots and lots. In the meantime R&R._

_~Yoshi_


	4. Chapter 4

_Both Zelda and Rougie called me a bitch for the way I ended this one. Personally, I love it. We've got the first hinting at my pairing, I'm really only gonna pull one or two besides Kranna in here. Anyway, there's some father/son and even a bit of action. I skipped huge amounts of stuff because I think the majority of readers know what goes on at the Iselia human ranch, and I wasn't planning on changing a thing through there, so I assumed that it would be best to jump ahead, and, quite frankly, we get to the fun stuff faster._

_Enjoy!_

….

Lloyd was focused, yet he was as far from reality as one could be. His senses, unnaturally strengthened, probed the world outside his bedroom walls. He could see _everything,_ the many wolves charging through the undergrowth, the odd monstrous bug or warped plant ready to prey on the unsuspecting traveler through Iselia Forest. He could hear the leaves rustling, the soft snap as twigs broke underfoot, the wind racing its way through the trees and around the rocks.

And, of course, he could still hear the screaming that echoed from the Human Ranch. Since he and Genis had pulled their little stunt that afternoon, the screams had doubled. He had known that he would regret stepping in to save Marble, he knew that he would have to relive the blame and hatred the decision to save her would cause, but, at the same time, it helped to know that it wouldn't last forever the village would forgive, he would be allowed back in several months. But as the screams echoed inside his head, he knew that the Desians would be punishing their captives worse than ever, for outsiders' interference.

Soon, he remembered, he would have to ask his father—Dirk, not Kratos—if he could make a Key Crest for Marble. This meant he would have to act completely ignorant of what was happening just a few short miles away. The thought made him sick. But he could feel the others coming, and if he did not ask, Genis wouldn't have a crest for Marble's exsphere… It was amazing how every little thing that happened came full circle later, in some way. If he neglected or forgot even _one_ detail… he shuddered to think of the consequences…

Lloyd's red eyes flickered open and he blinked once, twice to focus them. The echoes of his traverse into Sylvarant's mana still whispered at the forefront of his mind, but he pushed them back, focusing on the room around him and the tasks at hand. He sat up and stretched, feeling his joints crack and pop and listening to his heartbeat increase. He put his feet over the side of the bed, the bare skin of his toes brushing numbly against the wooden floor of his room. He reached out and grabbed one red boot and, after pulling a sock from the depths, slid it onto his foot. He repeated the process with the other foot and stood.

Grabbing his jacket from its place, draped over the chair by Lloyd's desk, he pulled it over his head. It fell into place and Lloyd ran a hand through his hair, putting it back into its usual state of ordered disarray. He ducked under the lower part of the ceiling and moved down the stairs. His father was just cleaning up from some project or another that he had been working on when the teenager entered the room.

"Hey, Dad, can I ask a favor?" Not usually the best way to start off a conversation, especially with a dwarf (dwarves being naturally suspicious characters, they had a strict dislike of 'favors' as, with Dwarven Vow number seventeen "What you take should be returned; let no debts be owed," everything you did should be repaid.) "I need a key crest for an exsphere that's already been attached. Like the bracelet type or something…" Lloyd inwardly flinched at his wording, these simple terms were coming more easily, he was beginning a habit that had taken him almost two years to break.

"Whatdaya need that for, Lloyd? Yours break?" Dirk glanced at Lloyd's hand, as if he could see through the bandage that covered his exsphere to where the key crest was, his expression hovering between worried and suspicious.

"No, no, Dad, mine's fine, but I met this… guy today, a mercenary with an exsphere and he doesn't have a crest. I said I'd get him one…" Now that he thought about it, it really_ was_ a weak lie, but it was essential for Dirk to see through it, so he kept it almost identical to the one he had said last time.

"Bull shit, Lloyd," growled his adoptive father, "If a merc had an exsphere, then he'da had to'a taken it from a Desian! Desians _all_ have key crests or they'd end up like them poor humans they torture, they'd be eaten alive by the damn things!"

Lloyd sighed, and by ducking his head—seemingly in shame—he was able to hide a small smile that threatened to crawl across his lips. "I guess that didn't work… I—…I went to the Ranch today, and met this woman. She had an exsphere, but no key crest… and I want to help her…"

"Ya went to the Ranch?" Ignoring mention of Marble or the exsphere, Dirk went straight for Lloyd's stupid move to follow Genis to the Ranch, "You didn't let the Desians see your exsphere, did ya?"

"W-well," Lloyd stuttered. Despite his adoptive father's height, he was intimidating; he was a stubborn creature, and his mud-colored eyes sparked intelligently. "See, there is this prisoner, she's an old woman, and…if she's got an exsphere and no key crest, she'll die! I have to help her!" Lloyd's tone swung from carefully controlled to passionate as he thought of Marble, sitting alone in the Ranch, probably punished severely for their earlier actions… before being turned into a monster…

"_Genis, it's good to see you!" Marble's voice was broken with age, and the harsh environment of the Ranch did nothing to help it. All the same, the old woman smiled, her face scarred and lips cracked with dryness, lit up upon seeing the young half-elf. "And you brought a friend… my, what a strapping young gentleman…"_

"Ya weren't caught by the Desians, were ya?" growled Dirk. "Ya didn let 'em see yer exsphere?" Dirk asked again.

"W-well, we _were_ kinda caught… but I took out all the ones that saw my face!" Lloyd paled as he watched his adoptive father turn red with rage.

"Yer mother gave up _everythin'_ to keep that exsphere safe, and you damn well had better be respectin' her sacrifice!"

Despite having had this conversation before—the _exact_ conversation, at this _exact_ moment—Lloyd still felt anger and frustration rise in his chest, his eyes narrowed and his gloved hands clenched into fists. "I _know_ Mom sacrificed herself to keep Noishe and I safe, I _know_ the exsphere is important, though I can't figure out why! Don't tell me that by protecting people, people who might meet the same fate she met, I'm not respecting her_ sacrifice_, don't insult me like that!" The argument was delivered more harshly than he would have thought best, had he been thinking rationally, but he was seeing only red, thinking of everyone who would die in that Ranch while he went off on the 'Journey of Regeneration.'

But he couldn't tell Dirk that, now could he?

"Don be _daft,_ boy!" growled the Dwarf, his voice sounding like gravel, and just as hard as slate, "If you'd been killed— …riskin' yer neck like tha' is _not_ gonna save anyone, it'll just get you killed on top of it all, and don' you forget it!"

"Oh, to hell with this, are you gonna make the crest or not?" Lloyd glared, glared his father's death-glare, and saw Dirk visibly pale, but the dwarf held strong.

"Haven' ya been listenin'?" he hissed, "Stay _away_ from tha' Ranch!"

Finally, Lloyd would hear no more of this; somewhere, in the cold, calculating part of his mind, he recalled that his father would make the crest, but Lloyd was not known for listening to that part of himself, he was far more likely to get angry than coolly assess the situation. That was his father's job.

Lloyd turned and stormed out of the house, slamming the door so hard that he heard something fall over inside. He didn't care at all.

As he turned away from the house, he nearly ran straight into the Professor. Behind her were the rest of his friends…and Kratos, as he couldn't quite count the stoic mercenary amongst his friends yet.

"R-Professor? Colette, Genis, Kratos, w-what are you guys doing here…?" Lloyd began to turn red, realizing that they must have heard the tail end of the conversation; actually, Kratos would have heard the whole thing from a mile away… For a moment, the thought,_ Colette would have heard it too_,crossed his mind, but no, Colette was not an angel yet. He could _not_ let his thoughts become so confused. "S-sorry about, um… that…" he looked away.

"Colette wanted to see you, and that, of course, dragged Genis along." Raine smiled sweetly at Lloyd. "Kratos couldn't let Colette go off on her own, and I assumed I may as well come along as well…"

Lloyd's blush deepened. "W-well, that's really nice of you guys… thanks…" He grinned and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Lloyd, can we go up to the terrace?" Colette asked with an embarrassed, shy smile.

"How 'bout in a minute, kay?" Lloyd hoped that he wouldn't have to give a reason;_ I want to talk to my dad_ wasn't quite valid yet.

"Of course, I'll go pick some flowers if it's all right with you…"

"Sure, see you in a minute." As Lloyd said this, Raine and Kratos split ways while Colette trotted off in the direction of Lloyd's flowerbeds. Genis stayed close, following Lloyd as he walked over to Noishe's cage and unlatched it. His father would be angry, but Noishe had every right to go see his old friend, and it really was kinda undignified for a Protozoan to be locked up like that…

Lloyd smiled down at his 'dog' and rubbed behind Noishe's ears, "We've got guests, Noshy, you wanna go say hi?" Noishe bobbed his head in a dog-like nod, and trotted off in the direction of Anna's grave and, Lloyd knew, Kratos.

"Lloyd…" He looked down at Genis' sad blue eyes, "I-I'm sorry, because of me, you and your dad are fighting…" Genis sniffled, "I-I shouldn't have asked you for so much, I wanna help Marble, but there's only so much we can do…"

"Hey, don't feel like that, if we just let it go, she'll die! I like Marble as much as you do, we can't let that happen!" Oh, yes he could. A voice, one that sounded somewhat like his father, snapped in his head,_ Lloyd, you have a mission, if Marble doesn't die, Genis doesn't get an exsphere, and who knows what could be the repercussions of that!_ Lloyd looked away from his friend, biting his lip. "I know…" he murmured to himself, "I know, I know, I know… shut up about it…"

"Who are you talking to Lloyd…?" Genis asked, his glassy eyes meeting Lloyd's own red for a moment, then flicking away. "N-never mind… Say, are you sick or something? Your eyes are gettin' kinda red…"

"Oh, no… maybe it's allergies, but I don't think so…" Lloyd rubbed his eyes, pretending to be concerned by what his friend said. "I probably just didn't get enough sleep last night or something…"

"Yeah… I guess…"

Lloyd left Genis pondering his eye color, afraid that his friend would ask further unanswerable questions, and wandered up the path, away from Noishe's cage and around the house, toward his mother's grave. He knew Kratos would be there, and he wanted to see how Noishe was acting…

… and, not that he would admit it. Ever. But he felt… more comfortable around his father: he felt safe, though it hadn't started out that way. In the beginning, Lloyd had rather hated Kratos. They grew close, however, as near-death experiences often do to people. By the end of the Journey, Lloyd could not think of anyone he looked up to more than Kratos.

As Lloyd wandered up the path, he was intercepted by Raine. She had been standing on the bank of the small creek that separated Dirk and Lloyd's home from the rest of Iselia forest when he passed. "Lloyd… you shouldn't keep Colette waiting so long, you know…" He looked up to meet her eyes. They were so much like Genis', but… deeper, more worldly than her preteen brother. They seemed almost sad.

"I know, I just wanted to make sure Noishe isn't bothering Kratos too much." Lloyd mentally grinned to himself. "I let him out of his pen and he dashed up that way, probably smelled new blood." Or really, really old blood.

"Ah," Raine chuckled, probably at the thought of Noishe tackling the uptight mercenary. "Well, just don't keep her too long…" Professor Sage looked away, as if she expected Lloyd to leave her, but he didn't.

"So, you, Kratos, and Colette, you're all goin' on the Journey tomorrow, right?" He already knew the answer, but wanted to hear her say it.

"Yes we are, since I am a healer, my skills will be very useful." Raine nodded, looking back at him.

"And you're smart, so you'll be able to figure out all of Remiel's puzzles and stuff. When he told Colette where the first seal was, he was really cryptic about it." Lloyd watched in slight amusement as the Professor attempted to hide a slight blush that crept into her cheeks at Lloyd's compliment. "…Professor, I wanna go too…" He knew it sounded childish, but it was Raine. He could tell her what he felt, what he _really_ felt. "I want to keep Colette safe, make sure nothing happens to her. I want to keep _you_ safe."

As Lloyd has first mentioned Colette, Raine had nodded; she had expected this, but when he spoke of wanting to protect_ her…_ Something changed, the blush returned and her eyes softened slightly.

"That's very sweet of you Lloyd, but you have responsibilities here. And the Journey will be dangerous. Stay in Iselia where I know you're safe."

It was Lloyd's turn to blush as she worried quietly over his safety. "…you'll come back, right? Iselia needs you; you're the best teacher we've ever had!"

Then, Raine turned the tables on their conversation. "Oh really, are you sure it's _just_ Iselia that will miss me?" Her eyes sparkled teasingly and Lloyd's blush deepened.

"You're right, you know," but this time it was he who caught her off guard, "I miss you already."

Raine did not seem to be able to tell if she was pleased or not by Lloyd's statement, and he did not want to give her the chance to decide that he had stepped out of line; he still ached from where she had smacked him when she found that they had cut class and snuck out to the Temple of Martel with Colette. Lloyd turned and started back up the path, waving slightly over his shoulder, to go look for Kratos and Noishe.

Lloyd ducked under the clothesline that was stretched from a far tree to the house and saw Kratos standing, staring down and the inscription on Anna's grave. Noishe sat beside him; obviously, the greetings had already been had as they were both calm, but Kratos's hair was slightly more mussed than usual, leading Lloyd to believe that Noishe had already tackled his old friend.

"Hey Kratos, what's up?" Lloyd asked pleasantly as he approached from behind. Kratos jumped.

"Lloyd…" he paused for a moment, as if unsure of what he wanted to ask, "…if I may, whose grave is this…?"

Lloyd chuckled darkly, "Didn't you hear my Dad? It's my mother's, she… died making sure that Noishe and I were safe from the Desians…" He looked away. "Bastards…"

Kratos nodded, and his grunted_ indeed_ was more reserved, if not pained, than usual. "Do you know… if your father is alive then?" Kratos carefully avoided Lloyd's eyes.

_Yes, yes I do, he's standing right in front of me asking stupid questions!_ Lloyd thought sarcastically, but, obviously, didn't say it. "No, but we think he's dead. I've been here for fourteen years, so I don't know what else could have happened… and I've got Dirk…"

But even as he said it, Lloyd heard a hollow note in his voice. "But, you know, I still feel like he's out there…" Lloyd turned away, out toward the trees so that his father would not see he small smile that crept over his lips. This was a conversation he had been thinking about, if not planning, for some time now. He had to be subtle, but not too subtle, not enough that his dad was thinking it was just Lloyd babbling thoughtlessly, yet still make Kratos realize that Lloyd_ did_ want him around, be him an evil Cruxis Angel or otherwise. "And one day I'm gonna find him, and tell him that I'm all right, tell him I've been takin' care of Noishe and that we miss him…"

He swiftly glanced over at Kratos, his red eyes darting to take in his father's eyes, suddenly wide and shocked with Lloyd's proclamation, before Kratos could hide his emotion. Both men looked away from one another, Lloyd down to catch Noishe's eye, and Kratos back to Anna's grave. "…your father would undoubtedly be very moved to hear that." Kratos was a fantastic actor; even at this point, he managed to seal most of the emotion from his voice and even inject some small amount of sarcasm, as if to say that, while Lloyd's speech was moving, was it _really_ something that a complete stranger had to hear?

But Lloyd knew his father better than that, though he had only known him since… earlier that day, actually, he could read the way his father's hand tightened slightly on the hilt of his sword, or the way he positioned his feet, the way his legs and back tensed—it was similar to a fighting stance, but Lloyd secretly wondered if it was to stop Kratos from swaying slightly while his mind wandered—and the way that his ruby-like eyes (not Lloyd's terming, Colette's actually) held a glazed Lloyd under the emotionless mask.

"Hmm…" Lloyd looked quickly away from Noishe, the Protozoan had, very obviously winked at him, yes _winked,_ and Lloyd was now trying very hard not to break into a small fit of laughter. "Yeah, I guess." Then he sighed, looking up at the sky, "Origin, is it already this late?" It was a good observation; while Lloyd had been making his rounds, the sun had set and the moon had begun its arched path overhead. "I should go talk to Colette before she has to head home. Night Kratos, have fun with Noishe!"

Several minutes later, Lloyd stood on the balcony with Colette. The sky was now fully dark and the full moon cast an eerie silver glow over the landscape. Lloyd's hand had automatically jumped to the back of his neck when Colette smiled at him, "S-sorry about not getting your birthday present done, Colette…" he sighed, "I've had a lot on my mind today, but that's not really a good excuse…"

"Oh, no Lloyd, please don't apologize! I'm sorry that I put so much pressure on you to finish it!" Colette's hands clasped in front of her and Lloyd sighed mentally; did she _really_ have to pretend it was all her fault?

"Colette, no apologies, not today at the very least. It's your birthday, so just blame everything on Noishe, 'kay?" Lloyd's eyes twinkled as Colette laughed, her blue eyes closing and her face pulling up into a childish, relaxed smile.

"Poor Noshy! But then is it his fault that you haven't said happy birthday to me yet?"

Lloyd blushed. "Yup, he totally made me forget! Happy birthday Colette, and may you have many more." He knew it would hurt her to hear him say that now, but he also knew that it was a wish for the future. And she would have so much more to look forward to after they defeated Cruxis… together.

"Y-yeah…" suddenly, she was looking away. "…I'm glad I could live to this day…"

Lloyd somehow felt that, had he still been the young, naïve boy that had started this Journey the _first_ time, he would have pressed Colette on her sudden mood-swing, but he didn't think he could handle to listen to her lie to him. He didn't _want_ to make her lie to him, he let it drop; Colette wouldn't notice… he didn't think.

"So, the Journey starts tomorrow. I don't want to sound pushy, but… can I come? I know I can protect you, and I want to help you save the world… and end those damn Desians. It's… more personal now, more real to me after today and… and I want to help!" Passion flowed freely from his words, but he only stared up at the stars. It was easier to lie, and be lied to, when he wasn't looking at his friend.

"…" Lloyd thought that Colette must be looking at him, he wasn't sure how he knew, but he knew, and when she spoke again, there was something new to her voice, "Of course you can come, Lloyd, the Professor, Kratos, and I are leaving tomorrow at noon, come to the village then."

"Colette…" Lloyd looked back at her, he met her eyes steadily. He couldn't tell if she knew that he knew that she was lying, but he did knew that she went red as he eyed her. "I'll be there, I won't let you die, and I won't abandon you. Ever."

…

Genis was too slow, and as Lloyd's own long legs dashed over the dirt path through Iselia forest, he turned to Noishe beside him. "Go back, let Genis ride on your back! We have to go _faster!"_

Noishe moved to follow Lloyd's order and he spent a moment listening to the large 'dog' scoop the small half-elf up and charge ahead of Lloyd. Lloyd moved faster to keep up. In one gloved hand, he held the small key crest his father had made for Marble, but it would serve a far more noble cause—though Lloyd could not help but flinch in what would come next—in helping Marble be a part of saving the world. He had waited until noon like he was supposed to, spending the night making Colette's necklace, then, cracking the masterpiece with a shop hammer to make it look like it had been broken in his packs.

They raced around a bend in the path and there it lay: Iselia, nearly burned to the ground. Plumes of smoke wafted from most of the houses, some of which were only piles of rubble now. Blood splattered the ground, and, also burning, lay the bodies of what had once been the four men that made up the morning watch, the corpses unrecognizable. Lloyd gagged slightly and quickly turned away. He heard Genis gasp softly, "O-oh Goddess! The Desians, they burned down all of Iselia… a-all because of me…"

"Genis, focus! We have to help as many people as we can! Don't let this freak you out, stay focused and let's go help!" Lloyd looked at his friend, trying to force confidence he wasn't sure he felt into his voice. Killing monsters was one thing, but killing another person, even a homicidal one, was a little much.

For what seemed like hours, thought it could not have been more than half an hour, Lloyd and Genis raced around Iselia, putting out as many fires as they could and attacking or chasing off the Desians.

"Double Demon Fang!" growled Lloyd as he sent dual shockwaves after two fleeing Desians.

"And don't come back!" Genis shouted after them. After they had found the remains of Genis and Raine's house, he had shown no mercy against them, kin or not.

"Come on, Genis, most of the people are still missing." Lloyd started to lead the way toward where he knew Forcystus would be waiting for them. The Desian had most of the villagers held captive, despite how many were able to hide in the school house.

They rounded the corner by Colette's house at a sprint, and froze when they saw the Mayor and almost a third of the Village huddled together, surrounded by Desians.

"No…" whispered Genis, then louder, "Let them go, Desian!"

"Ahahah, this little one has guts," chuckled Forcystus to his companion.

"Indeed he does," said the other conversationally, "But it is not he we are after. How good to see you again, Lloyd." Kvar smiled deviously at Lloyd.

"Damn," muttered Lloyd; the games had begun.

…

_Review if you think I'm a bitch! …haven't heard that one before :)_

_Anywho, I'd love to hear from you if you have suggestions or opinions. Domo!_

_~Yoshi_


	5. Chapter 5

_I'm sure we've all been waiting with bated breath for this after what I did last time. I'm so mean. Anyway, this should make us feel better, nice battle scene, questions (one large one in particular) answered, sort of. Lots of dialogue on top of a not-so-epic battle scene. I so fail at them._

_An important note on formatting after the first set of nine dots: the italicized is memories and normal text is present. I figured I'd mention it, though it's common, and if you're having issues (a.k.a. your computer doesn't show italicizing) just tell me in a review and I'll mark it out. All the same, it should be pretty obvious when you get down there._

_Enjoy._

….

Kvar looked worse than usual. The man from Lloyd's memory had always been pasty-skinned, or, at least, he was the few times that Lloyd had actually _seen_ him, and his hair was thin and almost white, but this was…much worse. He was beyond white now: his skin was almost translucent and Lloyd could see the blue oxygen-free blood flowing through the veins that showed on his knobby hands. His hair was wispy, almost looking as if it could blow away in the wind and smoke that ripped through the Village.

What the hell was he doing here?

"So, are you the two brats that spent the better part of last evening breaking into my Ranch?"

Genis paled at Forcystus' words and snuck a none-too-obvious glance at Lloyd. Lloyd ignored his younger friend, choosing to respond by example. He didn't flinch from the Grand Cardinal's words but glared defiantly at the one-armed man. "What you're doing to those people is disgusting. We had to help."

Forcystus narrowed the one brown eye that wasn't covered by an eye patch. Lloyd did not know the specifics of how Forcystus had lost both his hand, now replaced with something seemingly out of science fiction—a small magi-tech cannon, and his eye, but his father had once told him that the man had lost them in a fight against a group of humans, humans that had been attempting to rape and murder a half-elven woman. He was, to the Desians, a hero. He was a beast to the humans. _"Were the circumstances different, you would have gotten along well with Forcystus. That is why war is so tragic."_ His father's words, whispering.

"So you're Forcystus?" Lloyd decided, against his usual rashness, to speak to Forcystus and not Kvar. Yes, the man had addressed him by his name, from this Lloyd _could have_ assumed that this Kvar was…the very threat that Lloyd had come to eradicate, but even if he was, Kvar had, or so Lloyd was _pretty sure_, no knowledge or proof of Lloyd being after him. And Lloyd would give him nothing. Besides, in all likelihood, Kvar could also just be that, Kvar, and only know Lloyd by his exsphere.

"Indeed…and you are Lloyd Irving?"

"Yeah, that's me. I'm the one you want, right? For messing around by the Ranch?" At Forcystus' nod, Lloyd spoke up again, his words still bold, "Then take me and leave the village alone. I'm not even technically part of them, I live _outside_ Iselia."

"Lloyd," hissed Genis, "What do you think you're doing? They'll _kill_ you!"

"Better me than the villagers…"

"You—! You interfered at the Ranch!" roared the Mayor from his place at the head of the captured villagers, "You ignorant child—!" He was successfully cut off when a female Desian stuck her spear in his face.

"Yes, it was my mistake, not theirs, leave them be and punish me." Lloyd kept his face steady.

Forcystus looked as if he had something to say, but Kvar beat him to it.

"Such a bold young man. A powerful young man, and he looks just like his father too…" The twisted smirk that Kvar sent him turned Lloyd's insides to ice: Kvar was baiting him, but how, under these circumstances, would 'normal' Lloyd act?

"…what? What are you talking about?" He forced his tone to settle between confused and angry, it came out rather squished-sounding, but basically right.

"Your parents. Your mother and father." Kvar spoke as if he were explaining a rather basic concept to a small or dense child. Lloyd had to hold back a sharp retort.

"How would a Desian like you know my parents?"

The cruel smirk Kvar gave him spoke miles.

"Enough, Kvar, you may be my elder, but these are lands under my control and you will do well to keep your mouth shut." Forcystus' sharp words cut across what Kvar was going to say next. "You are Lloyd Irving, the boy who broke attacked my soldiers. You broke the non-aggression treaty held between Iselia and the Human Ranch with the same name. For that you will be punished."

"What are you talking about?" cried Genis from beside Lloyd. "The Desians broke the treaty first! You tried to kill Colette at the Temple of Martel!"

At this, Forcystus' eye widened, then narrowed as he refocused on Kvar, "You didn't—!" he hissed, "I wondered why you wanted to come out here…"

"I did no such thing, Lord Forcystus. Our imposters are on the move again." Kvar did not even bother to look at the taller half-elf as he addressed him.

"Imposters! Why would anyone want to pretend to be _you?"_ Genis asked, looking puzzled.

"A very good question indeed, my young friend." Kvar smiled cruelly at Genis.

"Enough!" Forcystus snapped again. "Irving, I do not intend to fight you, nor will my men. We've arranged for a more… appropriate opponent for your punishment. The time for talk is over."

As if alerted by some silent cue, the Desians backed away, leaving a clear path for what Forcystus had called their "appropriate opponent." Lloyd only wished it were so simple.

The shaking began before Lloyd could see the monster. The ground shook and Lloyd could almost imagine that it would be Gnome that appeared through the gate, shaking the land with his powers, but he knew better than that. But worse than the shaking, or even the suspense, was the smell. Lloyd did not remember it being so horrible, but it was there, making him choke. It smelled of rotting flesh, of sulfur and sweat; like mold and poison. Something dead and decaying that had been dug up while it was still rancid.

It smelled like death.

Lloyd gagged, from the smell, from anxiety, from the wafting smoke that billowed around him off the flaming village; he felt the world spin around him. From beside him, Genis gasped, as if in a similar state, "W-what is this? What's coming…?" His voice was high and broken; Lloyd could hear his choking on the smoke and the smell. It hurt his friend's throat.

But not even the stench could prepare them for what lurched through the village gate. _Nothing,_ not even his past experience, could have prepared him for the creature that came for him.

It was green, a sickly, putrid asparagus green that was stripped by rotting strips of yellow and orange. Wherever the color changed, the skin loosened and seemed to fall away from the creature's body. It was covered in slashes and many dribbled yellow pus. Its arms were so long that they dragged over the ground and the hands proportionally too large and heavy to be lifted. Its body was long and stretched, twisting and struggling toward them, the legs thick but short and it stumbled often. It was easily twice as tall as a human. It was not, however, any of these features that twisted Lloyd's insides, but the bulbous… head of the creature: there was no visible neck, just a lopsided shape that protruded from the shoulders, the lacerations continued over it. The eye of the beast, one single bloody red orb, was half-closed, but the pupil darted wildly in all directions, as if trying to find something.

Worse of all was the sack-like brown dress that covered what was presumably the beast's torso. _Marble's_ dress.

His hands shook, he felt sick, and tears welled in his eyes, be they from the sickly smells or the sight of the old woman's dark fate looming so closely; he had to be strong, for Genis if anything.

His hand closed around his blade as the monster let out a blood-curdling scream; it was filled with suffering and pain. "A monster…the Desians set a monster on us…" Lloyd's voice cracked. "Genis, stay behind, cast spells, any backup you can give. I'll keep it away from you and do as much damage as I can, 'kay?"

Lloyd had only enough time to see Genis nod shakily before Lloyd darted up to the… thing. She was _not_ Marble; if he thought about that now…he wouldn't be able to do it. She—_it_ was headed toward the huddled villagers and, while the Desians had fled from their prisoners, the people were all too terrified to move. Lloyd took action, jumping in front of it and rashly calling, "Hey, down here! Come get me!"

It was almost too easy to distract it, the short attention span causing it to stagger after the swordsman. Lloyd dodged a swing from its over-large arm and sent a pair of demon fangs at it. It screeched and fell back a step just as several fireballs soared over Lloyd's head to slam into its chest. More steps back. Lloyd charged back in before the beast could discern who the spell caster was and go after Genis.

His blades struck her side and she—_it_ whirled on him, arms flailing, and this time Lloyd couldn't get out of the way fast enough; he was sent flying back several feet before he could catch himself and recklessly run straight back in. _"Tiger blade!"_ he screamed, and slashed at it. Bloody gashes appeared and pus splattered over his clothes and skin. It burned poisonously as it dribbled over his forehead, but he ignored it in favor of putting a few more scratches on its backside.

Though Lloyd was behind, her attention was on him, and not Genis, so the aqua edge that sent blades of water that cut through the air to slice into its neck caused a shocking pain. She rounded on Genis who, in an attempt to make his spells more substantial, had moved closer. Her—_its_ hand slammed into the ground, sending spikes of rock and dirt at Genis. The half-elf fell.

She lumbered toward Genis and no amount of slashing or attacking could convince it to stray from its prey. Genis stumbled backward, but not fast enough and it loomed over him. Lloyd acted without thinking; all he knew was that Genis was in danger and Lloyd had to save him. _"Demonic circle!"_ It was too advanced, a foolhardy action. A desperate action. He shouldn't have done it, especially considering that Kvar was watching, that Genis would ask questions later, but he did it anyway.

Lloyd spun, his blades causing the wind to stir as he summoned a small amount of dark mana and sent the spinning power at the creature's back. The second it hit, flesh tore from bone and marrow and more cuts formed, more pus splattered, but she—_it!—_fell. The scream was heart breaking and sent Lloyd to his knees.

Genis, now covered in… monster, gaped, the entire village gaped, but it was Kvar that spoke first. "That is it then, isn't it, Lord Forcystus? That boy has my exsphere."

"…it would appear so." Though his voice did not shake, Lloyd could hear Forcystus' silent horror. "Irving, you possess something that we want returned. Hand over your exsphere and we may allow you to live."

No, they wouldn't.

Even if Lloyd gave Kvar his exsphere—and he would die before he did any such thing—the Grand Cardinal would slaughter them and possibly even the villagers. Colette was gone now, what was left of importance? Nothing. If it were just Forcystus, Lloyd could, perhaps, have been more likely to believe the words, but Kvar loved bloodshed far too much.

"Over my dead body," Lloyd snapped back at him.

"I, my dear child, take that as an invitation." Kvar strolled forward, his staff hissing with lightning. "You will become reacquainted with your mother soon, boy."

"Lord Kvar…" Forcystus warned, but the older half-elf ignored him.

"So it's true," Lloyd played, masking himself so as to fool his supposed enemy, "you Desians killed my mother…" There was no need to force anger and pain into his voice; it came of its own free will.

"Oh boy, do you know nothing?" Kvar's voice was taunting, "It was not any of our men that killed your mother, it was—"

A shriek, and pus- and blood-covered arms wrapped themselves around Kvar. His spell, the lightning that had been gathering around him, crackled to life and sprang up causing another anguished scream to rip from the throat of the half-dead beast. It pulled him down, away from Lloyd.

"_Run Genis…Lloyd, run!"_

Marble's voice. Lloyd was sick, vomit welled in his stomach, but he would _not_ give in. These words had haunted his dreams for years, and here they were, being spoken for the first time. No one moved, not a child screamed, not a Desian went in to save their master.

"_Flee, children, flee!"_ cried Marble, _"I'll hold them, run!"_

"M-Marble…" whispered Genis, his eyes huge as he watched his friend, now a monster, save them.

"…_Genis, you were like a grandson to me. Please, stay safe. Take care of Lloyd…"_ Her words choked back as her consciousness vanished again. She destroyed herself. The explosion was massive, the light spectacular, and Lloyd, Genis, many of the Desians, and the villagers were knocked from their feet. When the light cleared away, there was no Marble, only… bits: blood, flesh, and a crater several feet in diameter with Kvar lying scorched in the center. His clothing was burned and his skin raw with the burn, but he was, regrettably, alive.

Forcystus snapped the fingers of his right hand, and, after a moment of looking between each other, two Desians slipped into the crater to grasp the burnt arms of Kvar and drag him away. Forcystus, however, was not watching this as Lloyd was, but Lloyd himself, "…you have fates on your side, boy. You are lucky, and we let you live… today. But I would beware, I do not show you mercy. Wherever you go, whomever you speak to, know that we will hunt you until that exsphere finds its way back to its maker's hands."

Lloyd leveled his crimson eyes on the half-elf and he saw recognition flash through Forcystus', "My exsphere is _mine._ There is no power in the world that could separate it from me." His voice was soft, but he had no doubt that everyone present heard the statement.

A wheezing laugh, "Oh you _are_ a bold child," chuckled Kvar, his laugh far too strong for his weak demeanor, "but do not think you can escape; no one has yet. Your mother is living proof of that, and _she_ had help, for all the good it did her."

"Enough, Kvar," growled Forcystus, "We take our leave of this pathetic place."

And they did, leaving Iselia burning, children screaming, widows weeping, and a very determined, very _angry_ angel in their wake.

…

Lloyd's steps were heavy as he took his exile, but he forced himself to look straight ahead, his shoulders to stay relaxed and his stomach not to clench and make him double over. He would not cry, he would feel nothing, not now, not when he had to be strong. Genis, Lloyd thought, was much stronger than he. Tears flowed freely over his reddened cheeks as he cradled his friend's life in his small hands. Lloyd knew that he would never have been able to carry himself with such dignity as Genis if he had been crying.

_Genis slid down through the dirt and landed clumsily at the bottom of the crater, his hands closing over the shining red exsphere that lay at the bottom. That was all that was left of his friend, of Marble. Lloyd stood above him, choosing to say nothing: let him mourn silently. Words would bring tears, they couldn't afford such simple tears in front of the angry villagers._

Lloyd allowed himself a fast glance behind; where human eyes would only have seen dark shapes through the smoke, angel eyes picked out distinct human forms. They were men, men with spears. Spears that his father Dirk had made now turned against them, used to keep Lloyd and Genis away if they attempted to return to Iselia. Why would they? Guilt made it almost impossible for Lloyd to look back, these were _his_ actions, and even when he had had the ability to stop this bloodshed, he had carefully manipulated it to his ends.

He was a monster.

"_How _could_ you?" Spit flew from the Mayor's mouth as he screamed at Lloyd. "You knew not to go to the Ranch, yet you did! Why? Look what you brought upon us!"_

"_I know," Lloyd's voice cracked, "I'm sorry…"_

"_Sorry doesn't rebuild houses, _sorry_ doesn't bring back the dead, now does it, boy?" The Mayor was not a small man, and with is anger came angry motions made almost comical by the bouncing weight around his frame. Morbidly comical._

"_Mayor, he's a _child._ You cannot say such things to a child."_

"_He's seventeen, Mary, old enough to know better!" Even the villagers fought over their fate._

It wasn't noon yet, and they were gone. Had time really gone so slowly the first time? He couldn't remember, memories from this time were…blurry, badly so, he had been so stressed, so alone… And now all that he could do, as he had done the first time around, was search for Colette.

"…_Lloyd, Genis," Phaidra's voice came as a slight shock, even to Lloyd's well-practiced ears, "if you really want to save the world…go after Colette and the others. Protect them. Protect _her._ She left this note. Please, go to her."_

Lloyd still held the note clutched in one hand as they made their way south. The words burned themselves into his mind; when he closed his eyes, he could see them hovering before, scorched into the back of his eyelids.

_Dear Lloyd,_

_ I am so very, very sorry for lying to you, but you must understand; this Journey is dangerous, and I want you and Genis and everyone in the village to live peacefully in the New World that will be made after I regenerate the world. I have Kratos and the Professor, I'll be safe. Please don't be angry._

_ Love,_

_ Colette Brunel_

Lloyd had had to say nothing, Genis knew, Phaidra and Frank knew: this sounded like a goodbye, not a note written by someone who expected to see him again. Lloyd's stomach twisted and he pushed himself harder, what if they didn't get there on time? What if Colette released the first seal without him and died!

They _were_ making good time, and Lloyd knew that they were only a few hours behind Colette, Raine, and Kratos, but a few hours seemed like ages. Six hours ahead. They would be to Triet by that night while Lloyd and Genis would rest at the edge of the desert. By mid-day the next day, they would be safely in Triet. Lloyd plotted their timeline, hoping that resting and eating would not delay them. Still, what if something _unexpected_ arose? What if bandits made one different decision and someone was killed? What if they got to Triet _too_ early and he wasn't picked up by the Renegades?

No. He told himself, everyone else will make the same decisions they did last time. Unless another outside for changed them…in which case all of time and space could be thrown off, the world never saved and they could all die…

Lloyd forced his thoughts away from this prospect.

"…_why does this sound like a suicide note…?" Genis' voice was still thick with tears from Marble's death, and this note of Colette's…it fooled no one._

"…_there is something we have not told you, something we have not told anyone…" began Phaidra, "Colette… no, the Chosen, has already—"_

"_Enough talking Priestess, Frank, they're outsiders now!" Suddenly, the Mayor was upon them. "Get out! Out, I say!" His hands waved and Lloyd and Genis stumbled through the gates of the village, metaphorically waving goodbye to their home._

"…_go, please go. Protect the Chosen! Save the world."_

Lloyd still felt his heart pound and his cheeks turn red with shame as he thought of what had taken place in the village. People murdered. Monster. _Monster!_ Screamed the voice inside his head, _beast, creature, horror, monster! Responsible! Stupid, moron, murderer!_

"_Silence, enough! Lloyd, I am afraid I must banish you—"_

"_What?" cried Genis, "It's as much my fault as it is his! I led him to the Ranch! You can't banish him!"_

"_What? This was your doing as well!" The Mayor's face turned scarlet with fury, "Very well then, you'll go too." And, before he could be interrupted again, the Mayor spat out, "By the power invested in me as Mayor is Iselia, I hereby banish Lloyd Irving and Genis Sage. Be gone!"_

…

"Why?" Lloyd leaned back against a large boulder, his eyes shut. "What was that second Desian leader doing in Iselia?"

"What do you mean Lloyd?" Genis looked up from the chicken soup he was making, "Why was he there? How do you know he wasn't _supposed_ to be there?"

"Well, think about it, the Desians only did what that Forcystus guy said, they didn't listen to Kvar. But Forcystus still called him _Lord_ Kvar. That means he was either of higher rank or equal rank…" Lloyd slowly explained the logic he had carefully formulated to mask his musing. He honestly wanted to know what Genis thought, though he doubted that any answers Genis would give would answer the question. "But if he was superior, then the normal Desians would have listened to him, which means that they're of the same rank. But if Forcystus is a leader, that would make Kvar a leader too, but what's he doing away from _his_ Ranch then?"

"…I never thought I'd say this Lloyd, but you're over-thinking this. He was probably just visiting. It's not that weird! Half-elves can visit each other too…" At these words, Genis' tone grew bitter.

"I didn't say they couldn't, but have _you_ ever heard of Kvar? Before today I mean?"

"Well no—"

"Exactly, we've all heard of Magnius, he's the guy who terrorizes Palmacosta. They've got an army, we hear stuff from them a ton, but no one seemed to know Kvar, which means he must be from _really_ far away, so what's he doing out here? They can't even harvest from Iselia, there's no pull."

"Maybe he and Forcystus are friends!" Genis seemed exasperated now, "I told you, you're over-thinking it!"

"But they didn't _act_ like friends! Forcystus seemed to hate Kvar, and Kvar completely ignored Forcystus! There's something wrong with this picture!"

"Why'd you choose_ now_ to grow a brain?" groaned Genis, "If you were _half_ this attentive in class you might actually_ pass_."

"You're not being serious!"

"And you're being stupid. Go get more firewood, this isn't hot enough to get the water boiling."

….

_And there we have it. Fun fun. I'm actually quite pleased with how this turned out. Please review! I love hearing what you've to say._

_~Yoshi_


	6. Chapter 6

_I was feeling kind, so here's the update a week early, I'll get started on the next chapter…when I can._

_Mostly a filler chapter, a bit of foreshadowing and some fluff, but what else is new? …sheesh, Yoshi's got nothing to say today._

_Read. Now._

….

"It's hooooooot…" Lloyd groaned. No, he couldn't feel it, but he was _very_ bored, and annoying Genis was always a good pastime. "My feet huuuuurt!"

"Lloyd, I swear to Martel, if you don't _shut up_ and stop complaining, I'll fireball you." Genis' adolescent voice was still cracking from the tears he had shed the night before, and Lloyd could hear his friend sniffle every so often, but he knew that the only way to keep them going was to help Genis forget his grief and to distract him. Even if it got Lloyd's hair singed in the process.

Marble's exsphere sat safely in its place on the back of Genis' hand. The key crest that Dirk had made for Marble, the one that he had given Lloyd and Genis before they had run off to save Iselia, caressed it and kept Genis safe. Just like it was supposed to. Lloyd had shown him what to do with it after they had eaten last night. He could sense how much Marble was helping the little half-elf, after all, Genis had never been this far from home and he would have, under normal circumstances, already have needed to rest, but he had held up from dawn, when they had started out, until noon when Lloyd had made him rest so that they could eat.

"Can't you cast a water spell or _something?"_ Lloyd begged, despite knowing that Genis, even with his exsphere, wasn't strong enough to call on water mana so close to another seal. In a few months, the small mage would have no problem doing this, but until that time, they would have to settle for wind-spell backup in battle.

"I've _told_ you, you idiot!" snapped Genis, his temper running very short, "We're in a _desert_ and I have to use the water mana that's in the atmosphere! Do _you_ think there's any water in this damn desert! _Hmmm?"_

"That's really lame…" grumbled Lloyd, "And all your stupid mana theories give me a headache, you know that."

"Then why do you always bring them up? Just shut up, Lloyd. Just shut up." Genis stamped ahead, moving southwards, toward where, on their map, Triet lay.

"Don't go too far ahead Genis; there are bandits and stuff around here!" Lloyd raced to catch up with his friend; all supposed exhaustion forgotten in favor of keeping his friend safe. It would be just his luck to say something out of the ordinary, piss off Genis, and have him run off only to be killed by a bandit or a snake or something.

"Goddess Lloyd, you're so bipolar!" growled Genis, not bothering to slow down or wait for Lloyd, "One second you're the annoying little brother and the next you're acting like my dad or something! Make up your mind."

Lloyd cursed himself; he _had_ to be more careful. He caught up with Genis, but didn't open his mouth again, in case something suspicious came out…again. Why was acting like a dense seventeen-year-old harder than he remembered? He knew that the Journey had matured him huge amounts, not to mention the time in between the end of the Journey and when he had actually gone back in time, but he hadn't imagined that he could screw up being _himself._

"And now," Genis said snidely, "you just completely stop talking. You know who you remind me of? That Kratos guy. I mean, one second he's being a total jerk, then he saves your ass, then he just stops talking again, are you _trying_ to be like him?"

"Look I-I guess I've just been…stressed lately…" Lloyd sighed, "Yesterday, and this Journey and all the near-death experiences are starting to put me on edge…that's all…" He didn't look at Genis, he couldn't. He didn't doubt that his face showed the lie he was telling.

And Genis didn't buy it, "That's crap Lloyd, you've been acting weird for…I don't know, _ages…_ Since the Oracle, no, before that even! You're hiding something, I've known you for five years, and you're not hard to read… Tell me what's going on."

Lloyd opened his mouth, completely unsure as to what he was going to say, when he was saved from saying _anything_ be the arrival of Noishe. The huge green and white beast, though not fond of the hot and sun, had raced off as soon as they entered the desert. The place was crawling with monsters, and Noishe was skittish; this, Lloyd had learned from his father—Kratos—was because his mother had been turned into a monster and tried to kill Noishe after he had saved Kratos and Lloyd from her first attack. Lloyd hadn't been sure of what Noishe was going to do, but he trusted that the Protozoan wouldn't get himself killed. Noishe ran off often enough last time that Lloyd had grown used to the idea, but he wondered where Noishe had been in this barren place.

Noishe barked and tackled Lloyd, the "teenager" fell back onto a sand dune and allowed himself to be covered in Noishe's affectionate licks, his hair and face being coated in saliva, then shoved Noishe off. The dog was heavy, but Lloyd was stronger, now with his boosted abilities. "W-what is it Noishe?" Lloyd wiped the saliva off his face.

Out of the corner of his eyes, Lloyd saw Genis sigh as if he thought that Noishe's interruption was Lloyd's way of avoiding Genis' question. A lucky break, but nothing that Lloyd had done purposely, but he wouldn't have put it past Noishe to have saved his ass.

The dog whined and motioned with his snout in a southerly direction. "Something over there? Monsters?" Noishe growled, but shook his head. "People? Is it Triet?" Noishe nodded and Lloyd pushed the dog further off of him so that he could stand. "Right, so I guess we go that way! Noshy, lead the way!" Lloyd pumped his fist into the air in enthusiasm. Genis sighed.

Triet was huge, or it was in comparison to Iselia. Triet was more trading post than city; the inn was teeming with the more profitable traders while the streets were lined with the tents of other travelers selling their wares. It was late afternoon but there was no sign of the city shutting itself down, in fact, there seemed to be twice the population of Iselia out on the streets at once.

Lloyd carefully fabricated his comment, with any luck, he would keep Genis trusting him if he acted the fool again, "Whoa, this place is _huge!"_ he cried with a huge grin—the smile was hardly fabricated—"How come all these people are outside now?"

"Because, as you pointed out earlier, the desert is _hot_ at noon, so the people come out in the morning and evening to stay _out_ of the hot, idiot." Despite Genis' harsh words, his eyes glittered as he looked around the bustling crowds. "…this place is huge!"

Lloyd looked around; it truly was a sight to behold, despite the fact that all of Triet didn't amount to the size of Meltokio's market. The hot wind in their face, the shouts of the merchants, the smell of exotic foods and the braying and barking of animals combined to make a symphony of life that was glorious.

"Fish! Fresh fish from Palmacosta!" called one rather plump man, across the dirt path, another man was trying to sell his hats, swords, armor, anything and everything imaginable could be seen. Lloyd would have liked very much to browse, but they didn't have time, if they missed being caught by the Renegades, everything would be thrown off…Lloyd couldn't let that happen.

"Come on, Genis. We don't have time to shop; we have to find Colette, Raine, and Kratos." Lloyd started to lead the way through the crowd, followed by the reluctant pair of Noishe and Genis. He could sense their waning attention for the task at hand, so he continued to lead the way, trying not to become hopelessly lost in the twisting maze of booths and tents that created the bulk of Triet.

Lloyd turned left, right, left again; once, he had had the path to the fortuneteller memorized because, despite the fact that his father had found the woman a waste of space, not to mention money, Lloyd had always been impressed by the accurate—if not vague—predictions she made. Now, however, he found himself loosing track of their location. Why did it feel as if something had changed? Certainly, every _day_ the sea of tents had to change and adjust, there were no permanent paths through the marketplace, but Lloyd was getting lost and dizzy.

"Lloyd…?" Genis called from behind, "Lloyd, where are we _going?_ You haven't asked anyone about where Colette might have been, you just started walking! For the love of _Martel,_ she and the others might not even be here yet!"

Lloyd mentally smacked himself: how _could_ he have been so _stupid?_ How would he explain that he had automatically known where to go? He couldn't, it was as simple as that. All the same, he doubted that they had too much time to waste. "R-right, of course, sorry, I guess I was as carried away as you…"

Genis groaned, "Lloyd, make up your tiny mind, either you're my dad, or an idiot. So which is it?" Genis waited for a heartbeat, as if expecting an answer, but when it became obvious Lloyd wasn't going to give him one, Genis just sighed, "Come on, let's ask that kid if he's heard of the Chosen's group coming here." The little silver-haired half-elf led the way to where a boy was playing with a dusty, dirty ball on the side of the street. He was obviously poor; his ripped clothes and dirty face showed as much. "Hey," Genis began, "excuse me! My friend and I were wondering if you'd heard anything about the Chosen's group being in town…have you?"

For a long moment, the boy gave no answer; Genis looked nervous, he seemed to be wondering if they should back out now, when he spoke up. "I dono 'bout any Chosen's group," he said, his language rough as his face, "but if you wanna find someone, go see the Future Lady, she'll tell ya whatcha need to know."

_Future Lady._ Lloyd silently thanked Origin that they'd been put on the right path so quickly; at the rate they were going, Lloyd might actually get his timing right! Wouldn't _that _be wonderful?

"The…the who? The _Future Lady?_ Who's she?"

"Oh, she knows everything!" the boy grinned a rather horrible, patchy grin. He was missing several teeth. "I'll take ya to her if ya like…she pay well if ya bring her custom."

So that's how it was, the Fortune Teller put out little spies all over the market and if someone came asking, they could bring her back for a shiny penny. What a way to do business! Despite this, Lloyd was more than willing to be shown the way.

"That'd be great!" he smiled, trying to look friendly, "lead the way, kid!"

The boy gave another wicked grin and then took off through the crowds faster than Lloyd would have thought possible. It took Lloyd, Genis, and Noishe all they had simply to keep him in their sights. Lloyd recognized very little of the way that they took, but he had faith in his sword, even if it was wooden. If they boy led them into a trap, something Lloyd didn't doubt he would do, Lloyd would get them out of it.

He just hoped it wouldn't take too long; they had a deadline, after all.

The tents seemed more spread-out the deeper they raced in, and soon there was a better-defined path, one that Lloyd recognized; it led the way around the oasis that was the reason the town could exist, to a few more permanent shops. One of which was the Fortune Teller.

Her tent was large and made of a deep blue fabric that was a very unintelligent choice for the hot weather. The flaps of the tent were held open with thick, decorative ropes and above the door, a single, badly drawn eye watched over all whom entered. It had a very thick, very fake feel to it, and Lloyd could not honestly remember why he and Genis had decided that it was a good idea to seek help from this woman. But they had, therefore, so too would Lloyd again.

The boy stood smirking by the door and he allowed Lloyd and Genis to enter first as he waited, he swept into a bow and Lloyd rolled his eyes. "Don't even _think_ about trying to sneak money out of us, kid."

A slight blush spread over his cheeks, but, other than that, he held his expression.

"Well done, Ha'ull," whispered an airy voice from the darkest corner of the room, "Very well done. I have been expecting you, Lloyd Irving."

Lloyd didn't bother to jump, but he felt himself tense and a light sweat break out over his face: _this_ had certainly not happened last time. He wondered how much she would say…or how much she _knew._ He and Genis exchanged surprised looks and went to sit down in front of the Fortune Teller. Her face was mostly covered in fabric as gaudy and colorful as the tent's covering. On the table in front of them, her crystal ball sat, glimmering in the half-light. The smell of incense wafted through the air, dulling Lloyd's senses. He felt almost sleepy, almost, and clenched his fingers around his sword; the wood of the blade cutting into his skin and waking him up.

"…you are looking for your friends," the Fortune Teller stated, not even bothering to ask for money, "You already know where they are, why do you come to me?"

"Miss? What are you talking about?" Despite the fact that the woman had obviously been talking to Lloyd, it was Genis who asked the question. "We have no idea where Colette and the others are!"

The Fortune Teller's eyes slid to Genis and Lloyd could almost see the small smile in her eyes, "Ahh, young Mr. Sage. You have a very bright future. So many new friends, but loss too. Stay strong, and be weary; those you let into your life may not always be what they appear." With this to analyze, Genis quieted. She returned to Lloyd, "You know where your friends are, but I shall tell you anyway; they are searching for the Seal of Fire. They've been here already, and they will come again, but when they do, you will be with them. Destinies are made today."

This sounded just like her and it all made sense. But what was going on? How could she know he was from the future…she was a fraud, right? Telling two people searching out the Chosen that they would make new friends and be betrayed was simple, easy guesswork, so why did Lloyd have a bad feeling about this? She _knew_, he feared.

"Do not be afraid, Lloyd Irving, you will not be late, but a choice is coming, one that you are well aware of. You will have to decide soon, for what you do will change the very course of time and history. Do not make the wrong decision." She _did_ know!

Beside him, Genis stiffened, but Lloyd did not look down at him, how could he? He would give something away. "So, you're saying that Colette, Kratos, and Raine are out in the desert, looking for the Seal?"

"Yes," but the Fortune Teller seemed uninterested with the fates of the Chosen's Group. "Darkness. And old enemy, but a changed one. He is smarter now that he, too, knows what is to come. If all does not go according to plan, many will die, but death is imminent no matter what path we take."

Suddenly, Genis stood, "Thanks a lot for telling us where the others are, we _really_ appreciate it, but we have to be going now, destiny waits for no elf!" Genis grabbed Lloyd's arm and pulled him to his feet.

"…thank you," Lloyd bowed his head to her; "We'll keep what you've said in mind."

"You can't save the world by yourself, Lloyd," she said in her cryptic and unhelpful fashion. "You have friends for a reason."

"Yeah, yeah thanks!" Genis pulled Lloyd away, looking nervous. "Come _on!"_

As they were leaving the tent, she called one last piece of advice, "Remember, Lloyd, the future is not so stable as we would like to think: it changes, it is different now from a moment ago. It will continue to change with our choices. A path has been laid, but it is up to us—to you—to decide if we stay on it. Do not make a mistake or all is lost."

"If Lloyd's the one calling the shots," growled Genis low enough that only Lloyd could hear, "then the world is screwed one way or another."

Lloyd groaned. Someone knew! Did that mean he was as see-through as Genis always said he was? Or was it just…supernatural powers? Honestly, he hoped for the latter, but hoping wasn't something he had time for at the moment. He couldn't afford to leave things to chance, no more screw ups!

…unfortunately, he feared that he'd be telling himself that every time he made a mistake. Damn.

"What an old coot, she was so full of crap! I mean, _you already know where your friends are!_ Yeah, in our _hearts,_ right? What a fraud! I'm just surprised she didn't try to get any money out of us… Maybe she figured that if we're with the Chosen's group she shouldn't be charging us…"

"Something like that, yeah…" Lloyd made grunts of acknowledgement and nodded with what Genis said as they made their way back around the Oasis and into the city of tents. By sticking to the outskirts of the market, they were able to make decent time and reach the entrance to the city where they had left Noishe.

However, when they reached the inn, Lloyd froze. "Damn it…" he growled. Three Desians—not Renegades, Desians—stood in front of the notice board with several paper signs in hand. Lloyd grabbed his half-elven friend and skirted around the back of the inn, coming out on the other side, invisible to the Desians, but within natural,_ human_ earshot of the group.

"So this_ kid_ is the most wanted criminal in the world?" growled one, he was short, and his Desian uniform seemed a little small for him, his middle bulged out from beneath his armor. "He doesn't look like a threat."

"This _kid_ is the son of the experimental host body and…well, you know the story. The higher-ups said careful around him, he's got the Angelus on him, so he's not the run-of-the-mill human. Lord Kvar wants him brought alive, if he's dead, _you're_ dead." The reply came from the tallest of the group, he wore extra armor, and Lloyd took him as the leader. "Got it?"

"Yes Sir," the last of the group was a female, dressed in the usual Desian female wear, her arms and legs were bare and her armor only covered the bare minimum of her skin. "So we put up the wanted posters, then get the hell out of this shit-hole of a city?"

"Exactly, our sources said Irving should be heading to this city, so be on the lookout for him and his little friend."

With a solute, the three Desians dispersed throughout Triet, but not without leaving a wanted poster out for Lloyd to see.

"Damn," he growled, "so now _I'm_ the most wanted person in the world? You've gotta be _kidding_ me, like life couldn't get more complicated…" But it did, of course, and what was worse was that he was now convinced that the Kvar that he'd seen in Iselia was… damn.

"…but what were they talking about? They mentioned your parents…and…what's an Angelus?" Genis looked up at Lloyd and the teenager sighed.

"Angelus, remember? That's what they called my exsphere. So the 'experimental host body' is my mom."

"Then they know…Lloyd! The Desians know who your dad is!" Genis' eyes lit up. "If we could grab one and tie them up and ask them, they might tell us something! Then you could find your dad!" As excited as Genis seemed, Lloyd wasn't about to go there, they were _still_ on a tight schedule.

"…" Lloyd stood there for a minute, as if debating it, then, "…no. Genis, we have to stay focused or we might lose track of Colette, Kratos, and Raine. We _have_ to catch them, I can worry about what happened to my dad after we save the world, okay?"

Genis looked surprised and almost disappointed for a moment, but then he nodded, "…you're probably right, I just thought…you know, this could be your first big lead!"

"Yeah, but we're in enough trouble as it is, we need to focus…" Lloyd looked around as he said this, then, when he saw no Desians, walked over to the board where his wanted poster was posted. It was worse than he remembered it: his face was misshapen and his hair spiked upward in every direction, but in thick, greasy-looking spikes. His eyes were muddy and his ears were huge. The only thing that they got right was the fact that, in the picture, he was wearing red. Of course. "…well, they'll never find me with _this…"_ Lloyd grumbled, looking at the idiotic-looking image of himself.

"I don't know, the resemblance is uncanny!" Genis snickered, "They obviously think of you as a very attractive guy, Lloyd."

"Yeah, shut up, elf," Lloyd snapped. He tore down the poster and folded it up, sticking it in a pocket. "Well, I'll hang onto this and see if it does any good later." They turned and Lloyd braced himself to see a Desian, and he wasn't disappointed. There, in the crowds, was the female, she was obviously scoping out the situation before she attacked, hiding herself in the swarming crowds to watch them.

While Genis began to walk off toward Noishe's pen—they had left the protozoan with the other tethered animals, much to his dislike—when she attacked.

"You!" she shouted, "You're the wanted criminal, Lloyd Irving!" She raced toward them, pointing her long spear at them. Genis froze, then spun.

"…no I'm not." Lloyd gave her a grin, "I'm Kratos Aurion."

Genis gave Lloyd a long look, as if gauging how seriously he was taking this before coming up without an answer and turning his attention back to the threat.

Lloyd's lie seemed to throw her for a moment, then, "Bull, you look _just_ like the wanted poster! You have to be him, and you're supposed to be in this city with a dog and a brat, you're Irving!"

"And you graduated top of your class, didn't you?" Lloyd rolled his eyes, he knew he was getting cocky, but it was amusing watching her smug look turn to annoyance, then angry shock as she realized that Lloyd was stronger than he looked.

She charged at him again, her spear going straight for his stomach, but Lloyd pulled out a wooden sword and knocked it off course before she could so much as touch him. She used the momentum of her spear to swing around and try to smack him in the side, perhaps in the hope of breaking a few ribs. Lloyd stepped out of the way, and then ducked down, as this time she didn't have time to use the momentum and had to stop herself. He slammed his wooden sword into the unprotected part of her thigh and heard a satisfying snap as she crumpled slightly.

The Desian woman used her spear as a crutch, staring at him in shock and anger; she was obviously not happy with the idea that a boy with wooden swords had just taken her out in a few seconds. Genis, who had been readying himself to cast a backup spell cut the spell short and Lloyd felt the air mana release back into the atmosphere.

"Lord Kvar was right, you're stronger than you look…" she growled, "But I suppose that's just the exsphere, yes? You're just a stupid human, you'd be nothing without the exsphere you stole."

Lloyd felt himself grow red in the face, how _dare_ she imply that he was nothing, and that he'd _stolen_ his mother's exsphere. He knew she was baiting him, but that didn't stop the sudden strong urge to want to rip her limb-from-limb. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her press a switch; she'd distracted him so she could call for backup! Lloyd swore loudly.

"Genis, she's calling for help, let's get out of here!" Lloyd grabbed Genis' arm and dragged him toward Noishe. "Come on, Noshy, let's go!" He rushed them away, the adrenaline pumping through his veins distracting him from the rather obvious sight of _more_ Desians approaching the front gate. It wasn't until Genis shouted and Noishe barked that Lloyd realized that they were caught. His hand darted toward his sword, but before he could pull it fully from its sheath, he felt a stinging pain in the back of his head, his vision swam, then everything went black.

….

_Okay, I love cliffies! Promise, next chapter won't be as bad…and you'll get a lot of explanation too, okay? Yes? Good._

_R&R_

_~Yoshi_


	7. Chapter 7

_This is the chapter from HELL. HELL I TELL YOU!_

_I literally redid this thing three times. I went through two different sets of Renegade guards, two explanations to Yuan, and a highly edited break-out scene. Everything kept turning out like either crack or crap and that just DOESN'T CUT IT. So, finally, after what I will honestly say was two weeks of lack-of-inspiration and blood, sweat, and tears (okay, I don't cry, I admit it, but I'm telling you I pulled out a lot of hair over this one) you have this. I hope it doesn't suck as badly as I fear it might._

_But please, enjoy Lloyd at his best and worst…_

….

Lloyd's head was pounding and he felt bile rise in this throat. _What the hell hit me…?_ He thought, trying to muster enough energy to lift his eyelids. His stomach churned, as if he'd eaten a hundred jelly sandwiches, and the pounding only seemed to get worse as he attempted to focus. He wanted to groan, but the self-preserving part of him wouldn't let him make a sound.

A numb finger twitched and Lloyd realized he was laying, though, he supposed that was kinda obvious, considering he doubted he had the ability to sit at this point, let alone stand. He tried to shift, even a bit, and a burning pain shot up his spine when he tried to do anything. He bit his tongue so as not to cry out in pain. His stomach clenched and refused to move again. His head pounded even more.

Okay, moving and thinking not going so well, he'd just have to sit through it; normally it wasn't too hard for Lloyd to let his mind wander so he didn't have to think, but as he remembered the circumstances he was in…or hoped he was in, he couldn't seem to find that nice, dark place in his head where he usually retreated during, say, one of Raine's lectures.

"You think he'll wake up soon?" growled a harsh voice outside Lloyd's head.

"Not a clue, besides, the longer he's out, the less work for us," the reply came from closer. There were at least two men—hopefully Renegades and not Desians—in the room with him. Lloyd held his breath, wanting them to continue to believe that he was still unconscious so they would keep talking.

"Who the hell is this kid, anyway?"

"How am I supposed to know?" the second voice growled, "But he's got a wanted poster and that Desian bitch went after him big time, so he's gotta be worth something."

"Huh, you never seen him before then? If he's on the Desian most wanted list, why haven't we seen him before?"

"No clue, he's just a kid, so he's probably a recent addition, got in trouble at a Ranch or broke out or something."

Lloyd was relieved; he really_ was_ safely—okay, bad word use –in the Renegade base; he hadn't been knocked out and dragged back to the Iselia Ranch. Of course, were that the case, he probably wouldn't have been in a single cell or anything either. He probably would have been strapped on a dissection table.

At that moment, the door opened again and the sound of hurried feet met Lloyd's ears. "Sirs," this Renegade was a female, "Lord Botta wants you."

One of Lloyd's guards growled softly, "Damn, Botta's got horrible timing. We've got to watch the brat…"

"The brat," that's nice, Lloyd mentally rolled his eyes. Was an unconscious teenager _really_ that hard to watch? Apparently.

"Don't suppose_ Lord_ Botta remembered to call for replacements…" grumbled the other.

"If he did, he didn't say anything to me." The girl sounded as if she'd rolled her eyes.

"Don't suppose _you_ have any jobs that you have to do?" the first Renegade asked, obviously hinting at what he wanted.

"Well, actually—"

"Excellent! We'll be back later." The sounds of the two men's retreating feet echoed around and out the door.

"…bastards…" growled the woman and Lloyd heard her sit heavily on something outside his cell. "Whatever, the kid's asleep, s'not like I have to do anything…"

_And that,_ thought Lloyd,_ is where you're wrong._ He felt a little bad taking advantage of the girl, but really, it _was_ to save the world, after all.

Lloyd opened his eyes after he heard the telltale sounds of the woman pacing to and fro in front of his cell. The ceiling above him came into sharp view; the metal plates that encased it were solid, and they covered the floor and walls besides. The only furnishing, and Lloyd would hardly consider it this, in the cell was a single hard-looking cot that was chained to the wall beside him. That was it; everything else was made of painful-looking metal. Of course, this was only his bad vantage point, from memory he recalled that just outside his cell was the button to release his cell door. Bad planning? No shit. Convenient? Sure as hell!

Lloyd groaned loudly and sat, making the half-elf think that he was still groggy. His father had _drilled_ the expression_ never underestimate your enemy_ into Lloyd's head during their training sessions, now it was time to play it up, make _his_ enemy underestimate him. It couldn't be too hard; she thought he was an injured human.

Of course, being a swiftly healing angel wasn't what she would expect.

"Stay down, don't talk," she commanded, her tone sharp enough to cut.

"W-where _am_ I…?" Lloyd groaned, rubbing his head. "Ow…I hurt all over…" He blinked blearily at her, keeping his eyes half-shut so she couldn't see how awake he really was. "W-wait…you're a Desian…?" He tried to push as much childish fault he could into the statement.

She snorted, "Something like that."

"G-Genis…and Noshy? What'd you do with them! Why'd you kidnap me?"

"That's not something you need to know, brat. Now shut up."

"Let me out of here."

"Ha-ha, yeah right. Or what? You're gonna make scary faces at me from behind the bars?" She rolled her eyes. "You're not that frightening."

Lloyd kept his hand surreptitiously out of the Renegade's line of sight while he made sure that the Sorcerer's Ring was still on the middle finger of his right hand. He didn't want to, but he had a feeling that his guard wasn't about to kindly open the door for him; this meant that he'd end up having to make his _own_ way out. Therefore, he'd need to get her out of the way. Although he'd only just met her, he had the feeling that she wouldn't go down without a fight.

The half-elf, conveniently, strolled toward the bars of his cage and planted her hands on her hips, her face just inches from the bars. Lloyd stood, silently thanking his lucky stars that she was helping him get out. "…please?" Lloyd kept his voice whiny and childish, but she was unimpressed.

"You're _kidding,_ right?"

"Then I'll do it myself." Lloyd brought his hand around and, with a thought, blasted the woman with a small ball of fire directly in her stomach. She gasped and stumbled back, crying out in shock and pain. Lloyd took his chance, reaching out between the bars to start pushing buttons.

His fingers floundered over the keys for a second before he found the button to open the cell, then tugged his hand back to keep it from getting caught in the rising bars. Lloyd strolled out of his cell and raced around the side to grab his swords while his half-elf guard was still down. By the time he rounded back to face her, the Renegade was back on her feet, her stomach covered by one of her hands while the other grasped her short sword.

"Y-you're not getting away from me!" she gasped, but Lloyd knew that there was no way that she could stop him, except, maybe, if she alerted the rest of the base. Lloyd darted forward and slammed the hilt of his sword into her helmet. She gasped and stumbled back, collapsing.

Lloyd knelt beside her and removed the helmet, blue hair spilled out and Lloyd brushed it aside and smacked his hilt into her head again. She slumped onto the metal floor and Lloyd hoisted her up and dragged her over to the cell that had, up until a moment ago, been his. He laid her out on the cot and locked the door behind him.

"Okay…" muttered Lloyd aloud, "Get out of here before the return of the other guards…come on Botta, for once in your life, be long-winded!"

He hurried down the hallway toward the door and actually managed to slip out unnoticed. He hurried down the left passage, toward the chamber that opened into the rest of the base. He turned a sharp right and slid into a group of Renegade guards.

"Excuse me!" he burst through the group and began to sprint as fast as his feet could carry him down the hall and away from the momentarily shocked Renegades.

"…holy shit, that's the _prisoner!"_ echoed down the hall behind him along with the sound of running feet. Seconds later, the alarms began, the halls were lighted with red and the screaming alarms were hell on his ears. Lloyd got to the room with the electric lock; he slid down between two open floor panels just as the Renegades entered.

"Damn, that brat just ran off…"

"He's wearing bright red, how do we miss that?"

From under their feet, Lloyd smirked and slipped around behind them while they dragged the security bots into place and opened the door.

One thing that could not be said about Lloyd was that he was particularly stealthy. Actually, as he was wearing bright red and carrying around his swords, Lloyd could do little-to-no actual sneaking, luckily for him, he was slightly better at strategy. Therefore, while the Renegades were unlocking the door, Lloyd positioned himself directly under the door that was to open, waiting. Much to his wonder, there was another break in the floor panels that went through the middle of the door so that, when the Renegades gathered to progress onto the next room, Lloyd grabbed their ankles and pulled them down beneath the floor with him. They were dazed, and not about to make a sound, so Lloyd left them as such.

He hopped up and through the door, shutting it securely behind him.

The room that met him was larger than the last, and in the center was a large, gray box and seated in the farthest corner was the control panel. Lloyd recalled the last time he'd done this, and the pain he'd gone through trying to electrocute his way through. Then, of _course,_ on their next trip through, Genis had pointed out that the _control_ _panel_ for the whole place was sitting not ten feet away from where he'd suffered trying to get through.

Because his life just sucked like that.

It didn't take Lloyd long to open the right door, the one that led deeper into the base and toward Yuan's office.

Of course, things never went so smoothly for Lloyd Irving, as, ten minutes later, he found himself face-to-face with yet _another_ group of Renegades searching for him.

"There he is! The kid in red!"

Lloyd mentally groaned at the nickname; yes, he _liked _red, but what did these people have against using his name, seriously? He sprinted down the nearest hall and slipped into a storage closet when he got a moment. As the sounds of the Renegades' feet faded into the distance and Lloyd snuck out of the closet and back around the corner. A moment later, he stood in front of a rather plain looking door, a small smirk upturning his lips: this was Yuan's office.

_Huh…I'm awfully lucky,_ Lloyd realized, _Yuan's gotta have guards most of the time, but they're probably out looking for me right now…_

Lucky: the story of his life.

Lloyd opened the door and walked in, one hand on his sword, just in case Yuan decided to attack instead of threaten this time. Yuan's office was large and luxurious; there were large pillars and comfy-looking chairs about the room and at the center was a large desk made of some rich wood, behind it sat a huge chair. But, for once, there was no blue-haired half-elf sitting in it.

Lloyd was completely alone in Yuan's office.

Lloyd looked around, double- and triple-checking to make sure the man he called uncle wasn't simply hiding in a corner waiting to take him down. When Lloyd was sure he was safe, he, unsure of what to do exactly, wandered toward Yuan's desk and, slipping behind it, sat down in the Renegade leader's chair.

As soon as Lloyd was seated, he realized just how _exhausted_ he was. His body had yet to fully recover after the shock that he'd received back in Triet and he had been either running or fighting constantly over the past hour. He leaned back into the softness the chair offered and yawned, tentatively stretching but this action stopped quickly when he felt a stinging twinge in his shoulder, where the mana that had knocked him unconscious had hit.

Lloyd was very glad for a few minutes to himself, unlike in the past, when he'd worried about meeting a deadline of sorts, he knew that he'd made it though the base in record time and that he had simply arrived early to Yuan's office. However, with downtime, came time to think, and, for the first time, Lloyd realized that he had no idea what to say to Yuan.

Because he wasn't just going to play his part, no, he was actually planning on telling Yuan _everything._

Lloyd needed help, and he knew it. Unfortunately, his dad, along with the rest of the group, were too vital to everything that happened, too vital to saving the world—he couldn't risk something being changed. And some of the choices that Lloyd would have to make would be difficult for them to understand. He would have to let towns be destroyed, he would have to let people die. None of his friends would understand.

But Yuan…Yuan could understand the details, like how _nothing_ could be changed or everything would be thrown off. He wouldn't be sentimental.

Lloyd and Yuan, much to both of their shock, would become…close. When Kratos chooses to leave for Derris-Kharlan, Yuan is Lloyd's closest tie to his father, and he becomes the guardian of the Yggdrasill Tree with Martel. With Lloyd the name-giver for the Tree, he, also, spent much of his time at the Tree's location, so he and Yuan would…bond.

Of course, that hadn't happened _yet,_ so Lloyd would have to be careful with what he said.

Lloyd leaned back in Yuan's chair, he could tell it was comfortable, his body appreciated the down-time after all the work it had taken to get this far. And the stress the looming meeting was causing was making him tired. Automatically, Lloyd put his feet up on the man's desk; in retrospect, this was probably not the most intelligent course of action.

Then the door opened.

Lloyd's eyes flashed open, his head jolted up to see Yuan Kafei strolling through the door into his office, his nose buried in papers, then he looked up. For a moment, the half-elf took in his surroundings, then his hand darted into the folds of the cape that he always wore and pulled out a dagger that he held with practiced hands.

"And just who the hell are you?"

Some things never changed.

Lloyd sighed and sat up, "…Lloyd Irving. Or, actually, Irving-Aurion. Kratos' son." He _had_ to convince Yuan, not make him think this was some sort of prank.

"…Lloyd Aurion is dead," growled his uncle softly.

"No, Lloyd Aurion was in Iselia, raised by the dwarf, Dirk. My dad just came to the village to help Colette receive the Oracle. Then Genis and I got kicked out and I came to join with the Chosen. Now I'm wanted by the Desians, which is why I got picked up by your men. I've come because I need your help." It was, he figured, best to just out and say everything. He could only convince Yuan if Yuan didn't think that Lloyd was withholding information.

"…" From the look in his uncle's eyes, Lloyd's explanation was checking out with what Yuan had heard from his spies. "…wait, Iselia…then you'd be…the boy with the Angelus project!" This caused Yuan's eyes to widen slightly; Lloyd was hoping he'd at least convinced Yuan of who he was. "Then perhaps…the exsphere…" Yuan's eyes flashed to Lloyd's hand; he didn't bother to react, Yuan could see his hand—and exsphere—just fine.

"Kvar—" Lloyd's eyes darkened, "—and Forcystus attacked Iselia because of it." Lloyd held up his left hand. The blue gem glittered in the light of the office. It twinkled like as if Lloyd's mother was encouraging him, but the sight of it still sent shivers down Lloyd's spine.

"…so it's true then, Kvar _was_ on the continent…" Yuan muttered almost too softly for Lloyd to hear, then, louder, "So, you said you wanted my help. With _what_ exactly, Aurion?" From the sound of Yuan's voice, he wasn't planning on helping Lloyd, but that was where he was wrong.

"…Yuan…one, please just call me Lloyd, all this Aurion stuff is really weird, and two, I'm sorta from the future." Yuan went from slightly amused, if not annoyed, to disbelieving in less than a second and Lloyd knew that he'd have to work fast. He interrupted Yuan when the Seraph looked as if he was going to speak. "I know it seems impossible, but, see, in the future we actually manage to stop Mithos and save the world—by _we_ I mean Colette, Kratos, you, Zelos, Raine, Genis, Sheena, Presea, and Regal. Along with a lot of other people. We get the Eternal sword using the Ring of the Pact and we germinated the Great Seed and saved the world."

Yuan, obviously disbelieving, spoke, "…if you _saved the world_ then to what purpose did you come back?"

"Because I'm following Kvar," Lloyd spoke, keeping his voice even and his face open, "because he's killed by Dad and I in a couple months: we storm the Ranch and get revenge. But somehow he's come back and then he'll go—cept that's _now—_back in time to try to change the future…and get revenge. I found out and followed him back to try to stop him."

"…out of my chair," Yuan growled, but he seemed…_almost _ready to listen. Lloyd hoped it wasn't because Yuan was stalling while he brought the guards there. Lloyd rose out of the chair, walked around the desk to seat himself on one of the harder chairs in front of Yuan's desk while Yuan took his seat, and leaned forward to listen to the rest of Lloyd's tale. "And just _why_ do you think you need my help?" Yuan asked, his green eyes glittering with…well, honestly Lloyd couldn't tell if he was actually curious or scheming, as usual.

"Because, everything has to happen like it did the first time or it'll change the future and we might not be able to save the world."

"Then why," Yuan asked, eyeing Lloyd as if he was stupid, "would you increase the risk of changing something by adding another factor?"

"Because, Kvar is more dangerous than even Yggdrasill, and I need some way to counter him directly while I keep track of the group. And, as long as you just keep an eye on him and call me when something's going on, you can do basically the same things that you normally would, including try to assassinate Colette and Dad."

This seemed to throw Yuan off for a moment and the Renegade Leader watched Lloyd for a moment before saying slowly, "…what made you think I would believe a word of this?"

That was a good question and Lloyd felt himself grow jumpy and he was suddenly waiting for the sounds of the guards coming to get him. "…because, for one thing, in the future you're a really close friend, and, for another, I don't have a lot of other choices. I came here without very many options in the first place and I need someone on the inside."

"…and you couldn't just ask your father_ why?"_

"Dad is still on Yggdrasill's side right now, and he…he wouldn't understand. Lots and lots of people died last time, and I know that I can't change that. I-I don't _want_ to sacrifice them, but I don't have any other choice, that's the way it's supposed to be, and if it changes, everything could change in the future, just one person saved that wasn't supposed to be… None of my friends, not even Dad, would understand that. But…I think you can."

Suddenly, amongst the chaos, already happening around them, another alarm sounded along with footsteps from outside and Botta ran in, "Sir! The Chosen's group has infiltrated the facility! We're under the impression that they're after the prisoner—the hell?"

Botta must have been struck by the sight of Yuan and the missing prisoner sitting talking calmly to one another amidst all the chaos outside.

"Crap!" groaned Lloyd, "That's Dad and the others…and I thought we had more time than this…" He swore softly under his breath. "Look, Yuan, I know you don't believe me, but here." Lloyd pulled out his secret weapon from the disguised wing pack on his belt: a small letter. The letter had been written by the future Yuan to himself in hopes that he may be able to convince himself where Lloyd could not. "Please, trust me, and keep an eye on Kvar. I'll see you…soonish, I think."

"…" Yuan stared for a moment at the envelope that now rested in his hands, "…Botta," and then he was giving orders, "I should be going, our plans will be ruined if he sees me. Take care of the problem. Oh, and Lloyd," he growled softly, "don't expect to leave the Base, we'll continue this conversation when you're behind bars once again."

"You won't get me that far." Lloyd tried not to sound too smug.

And with that, Yuan took the letter and slipped through the door into his back room. From there, Lloyd did not know where Yuan went, but he hoped desperately that, wherever he'd gone, he'd believe what Lloyd had said.

"So_ you're_ Lloyd, you've certainly caused us enough trouble…we'll be going back to your cell now…" Botta chuckled, "Honestly, you've put us all for a turn."

"My friends will be here to save me in a moment, so I'm not going _anywhere."_

And just as he spoke the words, they came true: Kratos, Colette, and Genis all ran into the room, though how they'd found the room he was in was beyond Lloyd.

….

_Well…does it make any more sense now? Anyone? You now know about as much as Lloyd does, proving just how hard this is gonna be._

_R&R_

_~Yoshi_


	8. Chapter 8

_Chapter 8_

_Why is it that all of a sudden these aren't coming so easily? I blame school, I've got a full semester this time 'round and I had almost _no_ summer so…blah. Anyway, here's chapter eight, for all the pain, I'm actually rather pleased with it, all things considered. Lots of character interaction and some plot at the end, next chapter I'll go into the Temple of Fire, but until then, enjoy this._

….

Lloyd would have sighed had he not known that it would earn him a very hard smack over the head. Besides, he had to learn to weather himself against lectures like this; it was one of many to come. His father was pacing to-and-fro in their inn room rambling on about how _stupid_ he had been and how he should never let his guard down and blah, blah, blah. Lloyd knew that Kratos was probably just letting off steam about how worried he'd been about him, but did Lloyd _really_ have to sit through it?

"Your actions were rash and stupid and could easily have gotten you killed!" snapped the mercenary, "You are taken to a _Desian's Human Ranch,_ and not only do you _break out of your cell_ but you run off into the inner sanctum of one of the most well-defended, well-armed organizations in the world! What the hell were you thinking?"

"Uh, something to the effect of, 'Shit! Oh, _shit, _Desians, run!' Maybe you forgot, but I don't exactly know my way around that place, and considering I was disoriented and badly hurt I'd say I did pretty well." Lloyd resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He was bed-ridden at the moment, but only on the Professor's urging. He hadn't been injured in the battle with Botta that had ensued after the arrival of Kratos, Genis, Colette, and Professor Sage, but the huge burn mark on his back had put the half-elf on high-alert. She wouldn't let him out of bed even to work on her key crest, and Lloyd was quite sure she was rather bent on getting her hands on it so that she could study the effects of exspheres on their hosts first-hand.

Lloyd wasn't sure, upon looking back at the course of events that had taken place, what god was on their side, but Raine had not only found the exsphere attached to Botta's abandoned sword, but had just so happened to be carrying a key crest that Lloyd was capable of fixing. She would be able to use an exsphere—the exsphere that would save her life countless times.

Lloyd flopped back on his pillows, his father now reprimanding him for taking nothing seriously. He wasn't really listening until Kratos was in his face, "…would you like to repeat the last thing I said, Lloyd Irving?" he growled, enough venom in his voice to rival every snake in Triet Desert.

"I would imagine it was either something about respect, how sloppy my footwork is, or how I'm totally not listening to a thing you say." This snide remark earned Lloyd a smack over the head and Lloyd flinched, clutching the side of his head, "Oww! I'm already in bed for the next two days, don't make it three!" Lloyd should have known that he was not making any friends, but Kratos was not exactly being the kindest father at the moment, and Lloyd had had a _lot_ to deal with in the past twenty-four hours. It didn't help that he was still stressing over the Yuan thing.

"Your blatant disrespect is not helping your case, boy. I'd do a better job of listening to your elders were I you."

"…" Lloyd was torn between a bitter and sarcastic reply and the reply that would actually make him some friends. He opted with the latter, seeing as how his father really_ was_ just trying to take care of him. "…sorry. I-I guess I'm…a little humiliated that I had to be rescued in the first place…"

Regret flashed through his father's eyes, but Kratos masked his emotions well and he sighed, sitting at the foot of Lloyd's bed, something, Lloyd speculated, that he would have found rather…awkward had he not fully understood the situation. Probably better than Kratos himself did. "…it is alright, Lloyd. I understand, but we were all risking ourselves by going to get you. The _Chosen_ risked her life for you; you must be more careful."

"You're right D-Kratos," Lloyd mentally swore at his stutter, "I want to come on the Journey to _protect_ Colette, not to put her in danger…or any of you for that matter, if you or Genis or…or Raine had died…I don't know what I would have done…"

Kratos nodded in satisfaction.

"Sorry…" Lloyd looked away.

"As long as you understand…and if anything, I am sure that the Chosen would have insisted on saving you anyway. Just be more careful. We will be staying in Triet for several more nights, use this time to rest and heal, then we leave for the first seal; we believe it is in the Triet Ruins several miles from here."

"Great…thanks Kratos." Lloyd tried not to let his concern over the idea of Colette releasing a Seal, and therefore becoming an angel, become noticeable in his voice. Of course, that didn't change the lack of excitement. A lack that Kratos noticed.

"Lloyd? Are you sure you are well? From what Ms. Sage and the Chosen had said, I would have assumed that you would be….more interested…" Kratos finished rather lamely.

"S-sorry!" Lloyd plastered what he hoped was a convincing smile on his face, "I'm just tired, I've been through a lot today…"

"Then rest…" It was a command, not a suggestion and Lloyd did as he was told, not that he gained even a wink of sleep because of it.

…

It was late some nights later, two to be exact, and Lloyd was up late working on Raine's key crest. It was early morning and, while Lloyd was supposed to be sharing the room with Kratos, but the mercenary had disappeared early in the evening and not come back. Lloyd didn't blame him; it had only been two nights but they had already spent more than a dozen hours together pretending for one another to be asleep. It was driving Lloyd insane. On the upside, Lloyd had been working hard on Raine's crest; the craftsmanship was something even his dad-Dirk would be proud of, and all the tinkering with tiny symbols and the work that he had put into it was making him exhausted: he might actually be capable of sleep that night.

The flickering candle light that Lloyd had to work by did not make his job any easier; the candle danced in the breeze of the open windows and cast eerie shadows around the room. This wasn't what concerned Lloyd, of course, but the shadows cast strange shapes in the metal that he was carving. He yawned and stretched, his arms held above his head and Lloyd looked back down at his work…only to find that it was complete!

Lloyd examined the golden metal, his skilled hands running over the metal as his numb fingers caught the grooves that he had made and checked for any mistakes. There were none and Lloyd grinned at the small piece of metal. "Wow, that was harder than I remember…" he groaned, all he wanted now was to give the crest to Raine and go to bed.

Lloyd stood; he was clad only in the black undershirt that he put under his jacket and gray pants. Not even his boots. Most of the inn was asleep so he had no qualms about walking around in less than his usual amount of clothing. He paused on his way to the door only to grab his boots. The warrior part of his brain made his eyes jump to his swords—a pair of metal blades that Kratos had bought him the day before.

His father hadn't said a word about the cost.

Lloyd knew that, logically, he should take his swords: what if he was _attacked?_ But the realistic part of Lloyd knew that Raine would question the odd habit, as would anyone he might meet on the short walk down the hall to Raine and Genis' room. Besides, he rationalized, if someone _did_ attack him—an unlikely event in its own right—Lloyd most likely wouldn't have trouble taking them down. He'd made it _this_ far with _wooden_ blades, after all.

Despite his misgivings, Lloyd's few seconds in the hall down to Raine's room were uneventful to say the least. There was no clerk downstairs, but a candle flickered on the desk, lighting the lobby down the stairs and much of the open hall that Lloyd stood on. From his vantage point, Lloyd could have seen any attacker, but, as there _were_ none, he turned his back on the dark, empty room and knocked softly on the Sages' door.

Raine's call of "_come in, it's open"_ came to his ears through the rough wooden door and Lloyd did has she commanded and entered. "Hey, Raine, I finished your crest…" he glanced from the beautiful silver-haired half-elf to her like-haired younger brother, asleep on one of the two beds in the room. He was covered in a thick quilt to keep out the cold desert night air.

"Oh, Lloyd! I can't believe you stayed up this late working on it." Raine's voice was somewhere between excited and disapproving. "Get back to your room and get some sleep, you look dead on your feet and we'll have a long day tomorrow…"

"I know, I know. Don't worry about me, besides, _you're_ still up, so I figured I'd give you something new to think about. You should get some sleep too though." Lloyd smiled at her, enjoying the way the flickering candle shined on her silver hair, turning it gold. His teacher had also taken off her outer layers, and was only wearing her white shirt and pants. Without the coat she looked slim and rather…breakable.

"Lloyd…" Perhaps it was just the candlelight, but it looked as though Raine was…blushing. "Thank you very much, but you really _should_ get to bed, you look half-asleep already."

Lloyd smiled again, "I don't doubt it… Hey, Raine? So, can Genis and I really come on the Journey?"

"…could I really deny you after everything that's happened? You can't go home…and you went through a lot to come find us… I haven't talked to Kratos about it yet, but I do not think even _he_ can disagree."

"Thanks…Raine, really. You won't regret it, we'll do a good job, I swear!"

"Lloyd! Keep your voice down, Genis is trying to sleep…" Raine scolded lightly, "Honestly, you're so excitable!"

"S-sorry…" Lloyd grinned sheepishly, "Well…you want me to show you how to put on the crest?" Before she could answer, Lloyd moved forward, taking the gold crest from her hands and picking up the exsphere that lay on the desk before her. "You have to be really careful because exspheres without keycrests make you sick if you use them. They way you put it on," Lloyd caught her hand gently in one of his own and with the other he positioned the exsphere on top of the golden crest, "is by first placing the keycrest on your hand and then setting the exsphere in place."

Lloyd pressed the cool metal against the half-elf's hand and set the exsphere over it, he watched Raine's eyes light up as the power of the exsphere flowed through her. "If you'd put it on exsphere-first, the crest would still work, but you would have to have a dwarf remove it, like this you can take it on and off whenever you want, just be careful that nothing breaks, I'm not sure how much of it I can fix, mmkay?"

"O-of course Lloyd…" Raine was staring in wonder at her new exsphere, "Thank you very much!"

"Any time Raine." Lloyd backed away a step, his boots soft against the wooden floor. "Well, night!"

He turned to go and heard her murmur, "Goodnight Lloyd…" as the door closed.

When Lloyd exited the Sages' room, he found the lobby below to be occupied, unlike his last passing. A floor below, his father, clothed in shadow, walked near-silently across the tiled floor. He moved swiftly; anyone would presume it was simply because he did not want to run the risk of waking the rest of the inn, but Lloyd recognized a certain amount of nervousness in his father's gait as he exited the inn. Lloyd, curious as ever, even when he knew what was to come, chose not to go to bed, as sense would have dictated, but to follow his sire into the cool desert night.

Lloyd padded swiftly and soundlessly down the far stairs and landed in the lobby. An automatic surveillance of the room proved it shadowy, but devoid of life. He strolled across the room, the fine hairs on the back of his neck and arms prickling as if he was being watched—foolish, the room was empty, no mana, no extra shadows, no doors from which anyone could be watching. It was just the dark; Lloyd scolded himself for acting so childish.

He exited the building, approximately a minute or so behind his enigmatic father. Lloyd closed the inn door softly and started up the staircase that led to the square from the inn door, listening as he went. From above, he could hear the baritone murmurings of his father's voice and the soft whine of Noishe's response.

"…taken care of him," Kratos said softly, "and for that I thank you, old friend." Noishe whined softly in response, and Lloyd heard the sounds of the Seraph scratching the Protozoan's snout. "Humph, indeed…"

Lloyd chuckled soundlessly at the tone of his father's voice, somewhere between annoyed and amused, if not exasperated: Lloyd had no doubt they were discussing his rash actions of earlier in the week. He wandered silently up the stairs and onto the moonlit sand. Shards of what was once a stone mosaic added color, be it faded or otherwise, to the sea of silver that stretched around Lloyd's red boots. Across the way, Noishe and Kratos stood with their backs to him as they stared out at the sand and reminisced.

Lloyd approached then without making so much as a sound, meaning it must have been his breathing that tipped Kratos off to his position—or perhaps it was merely intuition—but when Lloyd was within two feet of the odd pair, he found his father spinning 'round, sword in hand and the tip ready to meet with his Adams apple. Of course, the second Kratos began to move, so, too, did Lloyd. He dropped to his hands and knees and rolled out of the way of Kratos' reaching blade. Lloyd hopped up several feet away, his hand automatically grasping at the air where his swords _should_ have been.

Because he'd left them back in the inn room, like the idiot he was.

"…Lloyd, what are you doing still up?" Kratos asked as way of apology for nearly skewering him.

"I-I was just working on the Professor's keycrest…" Lloyd gasped slightly, his adrenaline still high from the near miss. "I saw you coming out here and wondered what you were doing! I didn't mean to freak you out!"

His father "humphed" and replaced his sword in its sheath looking annoyed. "You should have gone to sleep hours ago, you're—"

"Gonna have a long day tomorrow, I've heard this already, don't worry about me, I'll make sure I'm fine."

"Hmm…" Kratos eyed Lloyd for a long moment, his red eyes boring into Lloyd's own. Lloyd hoped desperately that he was keeping his cool as well as he thought he was. For a moment, he thought he detected a spark of something in his father's eyes, but as quickly as it had come, it was gone again, leaving no trace on the angel's face. "…see that you do, Lloyd."

This, though obviously a dismissal on the elder man's behalf, only made Lloyd smile slightly and sit on the dirt and sand beside Noishe's cage, the Protozoan reaching a paw through the gate to tap Lloyd's head teasingly. "What? S'too late to play, Noshy."

"Late enough that you should be in bed, I think is what your dog is trying to say." Kratos pointed out mildly.

"You're one to talk, you're gonna have just as long a day as I have."

"I am used to less sleep than you are," the mercenary replied, a bit of a hiss to his tone.

"…" Lloyd sighed, very close to picking a fight, but he—in what he considered an _inhuman_ act of self-control—said peacefully, "give me a bit longer, kay? Then I'll go to bed."

His father sighed and reached out to pat Noishe's head, "…you are an insistent child."

"…yeah, I guess I am. You like animals?" Lloyd leaned back against the cage and motioned to Kratos' hand on Noishe's head. "Noishe really likes you, and usually he's so shy around strangers."

There are some things that, for no apparent reason, stick very well in one's memory. Sometimes they're images, sometimes they're conversations, this was one of those moments, the first real bonding moment with his father, that Lloyd would always remember.

"…I am not particularly fond of animals, no." His father shrugged off the conversation but Lloyd pressed on.

"Then it must just be Noishe, he _adores_ you." Immediately, Lloyd regretted his word-choice. For Lloyd to be talking to his father was one thing, to be trying to make a new friend of the stoic mercenary, the term _adores_ was pathetic.

Kratos eyed his son for a long moment, his probing eyes still searching for some hint of Lloyd's façade to break. Lloyd, after a moment of perfectly timed innocent blinking smiled at Kratos. "What, something on my face?"

"…no, I was…merely wondering at your word choice."

"Yeah…"

"Lloyd," Kratos halted after the first word and Lloyd felt his stomach flip awkwardly at his father's gaze. "…your swordsmanship is unrefined; you need to learn to control your blades…if you wish to live through this Journey." And his father turned to go, strolling away in the opposite direction of the inn.

"…then teach me." It was an open invitation; Lloyd hoped that it wouldn't be below him to accept. "You're the best swordsman I've ever met."

As Lloyd had anticipated, Kratos was caught off-guard by this statement and he actually turned back to look at Lloyd. "…I do not take apprentices."

"I'm not asking for anything full-time, you've got to take care of the others too, I get that. But every-so-often you can give me pointers and stuff." Lloyd pushed an earnest ring into his voice. "Please?"

"…" Kratos sighed and looked away. "…I suppose we shall see after we leave the city."

Lloyd was grateful that his father was not looking at him, as a regrettably real and open smile split his lips. "…thanks Da-Kratos. Thanks a lot…" Lloyd bit the inside of his lip, _hard_ and swore mentally. He, however, did _not_ earn an odd look from Kratos this time, for which he was grateful.

"…go to bed, Lloyd." Kratos murmured quietly before disappearing into the shadows.

Lloyd waited until he knew his father was out of earshot before looking up at Noishe and sighing, "…ya' know? It's harder the second time around I think. Feels like…I dunno, like I'm in a play or something. Like it's scripted. I don't want to stray from the script because that'll screw up the play, but I just want to _smack_ him sometimes, make him see reason. He…only thinks of us as _the Chosen's_ _Group_ right now, but I know it'll change…I'm just impatient for it. Do you know what I mean?"

From the confused, rather blank look on the "dog's" face, Lloyd took the negative. Noishe whined softly, still catching Lloyd's brooding mood.

"…thanks Noshy," Lloyd stood up. "I guess I should to go bed before Raine sees that I'm still up and wakes the rest of the inn up yelling out her window. You sleep well too, kay?" He patted Noishe on the head. "Stay warm, what a weird thing to say in a desert…" He gave his oldest friend one last smile before turning back to the inn.

It was mere minutes later that Lloyd walked into the room that he was supposed to be sharing with Kratos—if only the mercenary would _return_ for the night. He opened the door wooden door and stepped inside, only to freeze when he saw who was sitting on his bed: Yuan.

The half-elf had removed his traditional cape and had donned, much to Lloyd's growing horror, the Desian uniform. Thankfully, he had taken off the helmet; it sat next to him on the bed, his blue ponytail hanging behind his back. He sat calmly, arms crossed, as if he had been waiting impatiently for several minutes for Lloyd's return. In one hand, he held the letter that Lloyd had given him days earlier, now opened and with signs of several readings: the lines in the paper were creased and the edges bent with use.

"Y-Yuan, what the _hell_ are you doing here?" Lloyd shut the door quickly so that their voices wouldn't carry so easily, but he wished he could hear better what was going on outside, he wouldn't put it past Yuan to set this up as a trap and have his men capturing Raine, Genis, and Colette while Kratos was out and Lloyd was distracted. And, perhaps worse, he couldn't hear if Kratos was returning. If his father returned to the inn room to find Lloyd arguing with Yuan, there would be a _lot_ of explanations to give. Lies to sell.

Yuan didn't move but to hold the letter a bit higher, "Have you read this?"

"Uh, no. You gave…well _will give_ me specific instructions to, and I quote, "_keep your nose the hell out of this, boy."_ I did." Lloyd sighed and sat down on his bed, opposite from Yuan, suddenly wishing his swords _weren't_ across the room. "Why?"

"Because this…seems to confirm your story, as much as a hand-written letter can."

"But wasn't it written by you?"

"Exactly why I don't believe it. I would remember writing something like this."

"…that's because you_ haven't written it yet._ I got it from you _in the future._" Lloyd sighed; sometimes Yuan's logic eluded him.

"Why do you continue to stick to this ridiculous tale of yours? And, for that matter, why did you feel the need to tell me about it in the first place?"

"Kay, what the hell'd you _put_ in that letter? I think we'd covered this already! I need your help to stop Kvar! And I _stick to it_ because it's true! Why the hell else would I?"

Yuan sat back, still watching Lloyd and sighed softly, "Well, whether or not you_ are_ telling the truth, you are thorough. Or, rather,_ I_ am thorough. There is an entire outline of what I should be doing and manipulating while helping you."

"…wow." Lloyd groaned, "No wonder you didn't want me to see."

"So my question is this: you said the threat was Kvar, how the hell is that supposed to work?"

Lloyd looked at Yuan for a long moment; he was finally being given a change to explain, one that would probably be uninterrupted judging by the fact that Kratos wasn't in the mood for pretending to sleep tonight…

He took a deep breath and spoke, "…basically, what we know is this: we will kill Kvar, he attacks Luin in a couple months and we go in for revenge and to save the people he took, right? Dad and I absolutely_ murder_ him, then, for good measure, we blow up the Ranch." Lloyd shrugged, "He's dead, kaput, gone, _poof,_ until, almost six years later, he shows up in the time stream. No warning, nothing, just an urgent message from Origin about how there is a hostility moving through time. We look into it a little further and we find out it's, wait for it, Kvar."

"And that's all you know?"

"We know that he's back from the dead and somewhere around here. We don't know if that means there's two of them running around—normal time Kvar and back-from-the-dead-Kvar—or if he hasn't landed yet or if there's just back-from-the-dead-Kvar running around."

"And if _you_ are from the future, why aren't there two of _you_ running around?"

"Origin. I replaced the old me, I've got all my new skills, memories, and powers. Very convenient, but controlled time travel is one of the perks of being the Eternal Swordsman."

Lloyd watched Yuan for a long moment, the half-elf still looked skeptical, his brow furrowed and his emerald eyes hard, but there was something about his stance, during Lloyd's explanations, he had leaned forward and tilted his head slightly. While no one could say that Yuan was a bad actor he was just interested enough that he allowed his guard to fall to the point that Lloyd could actually read him. This alone would have told Lloyd that Yuan was swaying, but the fact that the Renegade leader had let him say as much was as comforting a fact as any. He wouldn't have sat and listened to what he considered gibberish if he didn't believe it even slightly.

On the other hand, it could all be a trap.

Lloyd perked his angelic hearing to listen into Colette and the Sage's rooms, but no noise other than their sleeping breath met his hyper-sensitive ears. Lloyd, after a moment of listening, realized he was holding his own breath and quietly let it out, hoping that Yuan was too lost in his thoughts to notice Lloyd's worry. If he thought Lloyd was nervous there was no telling the interpretation that he could have. If he thought Lloyd was nervous because he was telling a lie, or because he was expecting a trap and didn't trust Yuan, there was no way the Seraph would believe or trust Lloyd. That was something he couldn't afford.

At long last, Yuan spoke, "…for some reason," he began slowly, "…I believe you."

Not immediately comprehending what Yuan has said, Lloyd opened his mouth to argue, then the meaning sunk in. "You-…you do?"

"Yes, what you've said coincides with the information that my men have gathered—that Kvar was in the Iselia area, with Forcystus nonetheless, and we know there were two large fluctuations in the mana over the past few weeks, these would most likely be the arrivals of yourself and Kvar. Furthermore, I have men stationed in the Asgard Ranch where, I'm sure you know, Kvar cultivates his experiments, and they've said that the Grand Cardinal has been acting oddly, I would assume this has something to do with it…?"

"Uh…yes."

"…I should go, yes? Lloyd, contact me if something arises, but only if the information if _vital._ I will not be alerting my men to the situation, nor allowing you to barge into my base unannounced. We may be working together, but you will_ not_ be taking advantage of this, understood?"

"Of course not." Lloyd nodded.

With that as his final warning, Yuan grabbed his helm, stood, and strolled over to the small window. Lloyd stood as well, unsure as to what exactly his uncle was doing, he walked up behind him and watched as the shorter man opened the window and climbed out onto the ledge beyond.

"…you do look so much like your father…" He shook his head and leapt off the ledge, landing silently in the sand below and disappearing into the night.

….

_Okay, done with that, now I have to go work on my Lloyd cosplay…this should be good. I'm too short to be Lloyd, but whatever._

_R&R_

_~Yoshi_


	9. Chapter 9

_Well…I ended up failing this chapter, I meant to get more plot done, but all that came out was fluff. Got them to the ruins, though. Anyway, Raine goes psycho for ruins, Lloyd's big mouth gets him into trouble (as usual) and Genis gets the best line ever. _

_Yawn…enjoy._

….

It shocked Lloyd how _painful_ deserts were, even when you couldn't feel the heat, or the pain from the long walk, or the way his boots rubbed painfully on his feet whilst he moved. Yes, all of these things happened, and when Lloyd next took his red boots off he would find his heels covered in blisters that would throb numbly if he touched them, but wouldn't_ hurt._ And while he didn't feel it now, when he next sat, he would find his whole body would suddenly feel lighter as the pressure was taken off his legs. Lloyd mentally groaned at the heat and the pain and the fact that pride wouldn't allow him to complain. Even_ Genis_ wasn't grumbling over how hot it was, and he was _twelve_ and not even an angel!

Being in the desert _did_ have a few advantages though. Most of the group, with the obvious exception of Kratos, had stripped off their outer layers. Lloyd had pulled off his red jacket and was wandering around in his undershirt and Genis had done much the same, the half-elf was now wandering around in his shorts and thin black under layer. Colette had taken off the holy robes she wore over her simple white dress and pulled her hair back in a tail to let the light wind cool the sweat on the back of her neck. It was Raine, however, that caught Lloyd's attention. She was certainly modest, but she pulled off her orange coat, a first for her, and had rolled up the sleeves of her white shirt, even unbuttoning the first few buttons on her collar to show off her pale neck and collarbone; what was better was that she was sweating…meaning her thin white shirt was practically…see through. Lloyd knew his eyes were sliding to glance at her far more than they should have, but Genis was on the far side of Raine and Colette in the middle between Kratos and the Professor. Lloyd was on Kratos' other side, meaning Genis wouldn't catch him.

Of course, with Kratos' hawk eyes, perhaps it wasn't Genis that Lloyd should have been worried about. But Kratos had just entered the group and he was already antagonistic with the elder Sage, he wouldn't say a word to her, but he might bring it up with Lloyd when the others weren't around. Lloyd honestly hoped that he didn't consider them close enough to start asking awkward questions yet.

Then again, you never knew with the stoic mercenary.

It was midday before Lloyd finally cracked. They had started off early that morning and had been traveling for hours, Kratos holding the map and compass, quite convinced that he was the one that would do the job best. "…okay, seriously, how long before we _get_ there? It feels like my feet are about to fall off."

This collected sighs from Genis, Raine, and Kratos and a doggish snicker from Noishe.

"Lloyd…" Raine sighed half-heartedly, "The Triet Ruins are probably _hours_ away yet. Do not tell me you're bored already…" She shot him a reproachful look.

"We're in a _desert,_ of course I'm bored! There's nothing to do! What, do you want me to count grains of _sand?"_

"Do_ not_ speak that way to your elders, Lloyd Irving!" snapped Kratos harshly; from his short temper, Lloyd gathered that he wasn't the _only_ one bored of the desert. "And your teacher is correct; it will be at least another three hours of wandering before we reach the ruins. And that is if we keep up a swift pace." At these words, Kratos' antagonistic eyes shot to Genis before focusing back on Lloyd. "You would do well to hold your tongue."

"What? Aren't we allowed to _talk_ in the desert? Can we at least have some conversation to distract from the hot and aching feet?"

"You must keep in mind that we are not the only ones in this desert," Kratos growled in return. "Monsters, bandits, and Desians may all be lurking over the next dune; we'd do best not to draw attention to ourselves more than necessary."

"…Mr. Aurion, surely conversation, or at least a _lesson_ could be had, instead of wasting this time…" Suddenly, Lloyd was regretting opening his mouth—Raine would be in ruin mode in three measly hours, her lecturing on the history of the Triet Ruins would just be a _warm up_ of worse yet to come.

"N-never mind!" Lloyd cried, his voice sliding up in pitch as his hands waved the idea away with the dry desert wind. "Quiet is good! Don't want those bandits to find us!"

"Lloyd Irving!" Raine growled, "You _asked_ so you shall _receive."_

"Yay!" Colette, ever optimistic and loving of anything that would make the others happy, cried. "I love Professor Sage's lessons!"

Lloyd shot a pleading look to his father who, horribly enough, didn't seem _against_ having the Professor give a lecture…which was, of course, because he hadn't _experienced_ one yet. In ten minutes, he'd be regretting it. Lloyd _knew_ it. What was worse was the fact that, unless Raine ran out of things to say, which was impossible, he'd have to deal with a _lesson_ for three hours before she went into _ruin mode,_ in which case it would be even worse.

"So," Raine began, taking a deep breath and not even bothering to pull out her notes. Mentally, Lloyd groaned; did she know these facts by _heart?_ Martel help them. "Since we're going to the Triet Ruins, I suppose a lesson about them is called for. To begin with, we must know what kind of ecosystem a desert is…"

Lloyd felt his eyelids droop and he forced himself not to yawn. He was hot, he was tired, and suddenly he was being lectured at by the Professor; these were _optimal_ nap conditions. The only problem? He still had to walk.

"…the Triet Ruins were discovered over one hundred years ago and they support the legend of a mythical city that was designated to Efreet, the Summon Spirit of Fire…"

Lloyd felt his eyes shut again, then they flashed open when he felt pressure on his foot, when he looked down he saw that Genis had moved from Raine's other side to hiss, "I blame you for this!" and glare.

"I'm _sorry_, I didn't think she'd go off like this!" Lloyd growled back under his breath, then looked up to meet Kratos' glare. Lloyd paled and shut up, looking back down at the dirt and sand.

"It is said that over one thousand years ago, the original Triet was destroyed, thus created the Triet Ruins. The city was massive, probably created shortly after the last Regeneration—Spiritua's Regeneration Journey—and destroyed one hundred years later when the world slid into decline again…"

_Actually,_ Lloyd corrected silently_, it was destroyed by Cruxis after they started learning a little too much about the Regeneration and the Tower of Salvation. He turned their own deity on them and had Efreet destroy everything…_ He withheld a shiver of disgust as he remembered what Yuan had once told him. It was a gruesome tale and proved how ruthless Mithos was.

_But he's nothing compared to Kvar…_ If Lloyd knew Kvar, which he was rather convinced he did, the former Grand Cardinal—present Cardinal at the moment—was only out to cause pain and havoc; he was a smart man, but not the kind to have a real plan of any sort. He would just be out for revenge, because he was a monster like that. A monster who wanted to destroy all life.

"…the city that was built over magma, it is comprised mostly of bridges and pathways suspended over boiling lava, it was once rumored that the bridges were made entirely of glass; sand melted by the magma and put into place, then solidified using mana to keep it in that state…"

Lloyd shot a glance up at Kratos when, from the corner of his eye, it looked like he was watching Raine and not him. The mercenary must not have realized how overheated he looked in all that dark purple, or the way Genis was shooting him odd looks behind his back. The tall, emotionless angel didn't notice Lloyd peek, as his eyes stayed fixated on something in the distance. His lips twitched slightly, and suddenly he turned his head to face forward, Lloyd ducked again and half-closed his eyes so Kratos wouldn't notice that Lloyd had been watching him. Out of the corner of his eye Lloyd saw the flash of exasperation that twisted his father's face as he realized how _insane_ Raine was when she went on like this.

And there was _so_ much more to come.

…

It was _hours_ later that they finally—_finally!_—reached the Seal of Fire. Raine had not stopped speaking for all those hours, and, to Lloyd at least, her excitement seemed to grow, as if she could smell the coming ruins in the sandy air. It was hotter, Lloyd decided, not because he could feel it, but because he could see the heat coming off the sand in waves; he was shocked that the sand didn't melt and turn to glass at night, so hot was this damn desert.

The ruins loomed out of the sand, giant parts of a sand-smoothed whole that lay buried below their feet. Columns of stone, the demonic countenance of Efreet peered with empty stone eyes at them, one horn broken and his lips practically vanished with the ages. Lloyd shivered and looked away. The ruins were huge, a forest of old stone ruins fallen around them; it sent shivers up Lloyd's spine—was this the fate of all great civilizations? He couldn't imagine Meltokio overgrown with weeds and broken, the coliseum destroyed, the castle in disarray…

Of course, not _everyone_ was struck silent by the sight of the fallen.

"_Fantastic!"_ Raine's voice was high with girlish glee and her eyes were wild as she surveyed the city of stone. "Why, this is technology that is far beyond even Palmacosta! These columns are _hundreds_ of years old and they must be at least fifty feet tall when standing properly! What could they be made of! This is not sandstone, perhaps a mined stone from the Ossa Trail! Look at the runes! But they're so badly preserved! Perhaps deeper in! Perhaps there are _rooms_ of runes! Oh, just _think_ of what we could learn!"

"…is she always like this?" Kratos looked down at Lloyd, a slightly worried look haunting his eyes as they flicked to the Professor and then back to Lloyd.

"I-I…haven't actually seen her like this…" Lloyd blinked. "This is the worst I've ever seen her…"

"…s'not the worst _I've_ seen her…" muttered Genis, his face growing red as his blue eyes stared at the sand. "I-I've been trying to hide it but Sis is…well, I call it _Ruin Mode,_ whenever she's near anything…_old_ she gets like this…"

"I think it's cute!" Colette piped up, her eyes as bright as her smile, "The Professor is so happy! And I bet we can learn a lot too! And if this is the seal," here, she sobered, "then it's the first step to saving the world."

Kratos nodded at Colette's words and Lloyd looked away, he was just going to _sit around and let this happen._ He had hoped that after he had killed Marble…_again,_ it would get easier, but those hopes had been in vain as he felt the welling of anger rise in his stomach. What would happen if he struck down Remiel? Nothing good, he knew that. He'd screw up the whole damn Journey, the worlds wouldn't be saved and everyone would probably die. He'd have to sit through it. Again.

"…come on, let's go find the seal," Lloyd sighed softly as the others nodded in agreement, then, louder, so Raine could hear, "Raine! Come on, let's go in deeper! We need to find the seal!" He had chosen his words carefully, knowing that it would be difficult to draw her away from the ruins, but at the temptation of more ruins—perhaps ruins in better condition—drew her with them as they progressed.

A memory flickered in the back of Lloyd's head; they were going to be attacked soon, he recalled. Just some fire elementals, but he had to remember not to be _too_ good, for the others' sakes, as Kratos taught them all protective spells, and while Lloyd had no problems performing them, Raine, Genis, and Colette would all need to learn; it would save their lives countless times.

Lloyd glanced at Noishe, recalling that moments before the monsters came he had run off—

There was no Noishe. Lloyd swore and suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder, shoving him away as a fireball whizzed through the air where his shoulder had been seconds before. Kratos stood over him, having been the one to shove him, and growled, "Be on your guard, monsters!"

Lloyd felt the slight welling of mana that he had missed before and jumped out of the way before the next group of fireballs could hit him. Kratos practically sliced through one with his sword while Colette fell to her hands and knees to avoid hers. Genis and Raine both backed away and Lloyd heard the tell-tale signs of spells being summoned and formed.

He jumped past the next group of fireballs and charged toward the elementals. They were large, glowing spheres. Runes were printed all over the rocky hide of both as they floated at eye-level off the sand of the desert. Spell runes circled one while the other guarded at Lloyd's first swings. Metal met rock and both sparks and mana flew. The loose rocks formed together to make a shield around the glowing inner sphere. Lloyd ducked under it, attempting to stab at it with one of his swords, but it moved too quickly and, again, metal met with rock.

Suddenly, Kratos was beside him, bringing his blade down on the mana that held the elemental together. Lloyd was just able to jump out from under it before the rocks that had held it together fell on him. However, while the swordsmen had been taking care of the one, the other had finished casting again; this time eruption broke though the sand under Raine and Genis' feet. Both half-elves stumbled away from the burning lava that came from beneath their feet. Genis stumbled and fell, crawling on hands and knees from the spell while his sister made sure Colette was safely out of the way.

Lloyd and Kratos charged at the second; this time it was Kratos' turn to play the distraction while Lloyd snuck behind it. Seconds later more rocks fell to the ground as Lloyd stabbed the elemental.

Raine raced up, first looking over Lloyd for any scratches or burns, then Kratos. The mercenary sighed, "…this is going to be a pain…" As Raine forced him to remove his cape and gloves, he said, "Do none of you know how to defend yourselves?"

"Yeah, it's called _running,"_ snapped Genis, who was nursing burned fingers.

"I was referring to defensive _techniques. _Which all of you seem to lack."

"I know guardian!" Lloyd said mildly from behind. He didn't particularly want to draw attention to himself, but having Kratos attempt to teach him something he already knew would be a waste of time and effort.

Kratos fixed his ruby eyes on Lloyd and the teenager and raised an eyebrow, "That…is a rather advanced technique, I'm surprised you know it…"

"I _am_ the best swordsman—" Ever. "—in Iselia!"

Kratos scoffed, "That title is hardly as impressive as you seem to think."

Lloyd's mouth opened, closed, and then opened again. He was _so_ tempted to snap back, but he also knew that making an enemy of Kratos was perhaps the most idiotic thing he could possibly do. He sucked in a sharp breath, released it, and looked at Kratos. "Being a dick isn't making you any friends, you know." Dear gods, he'd just told off his _father._

"…" Kratos' glare was enough to make Lloyd feel like running full-sprint to the entrance to the ruins and hiding. He didn't, obviously, and managed to meet his father's gaze unflinchingly. _"What_ did you call me, brat?"

"Oh _damn,"_ Lloyd muttered in what he hoped was a voice too low for Kratos to hear. "Goddess help me…" Then, louder, "I said you're being a dick. No, we're not the best fighters in the world, no, we're not used to trekking around this stupid, hellish desert, and we're not used to having to deal with sleeping in a different place every night, so _sorry_ we're cramping your style, but you'll have to _deal."_

"…oh my Goddess, Lloyd just verbally bitch-slapped Kratos." In their shock, even Raine wasn't able to punish Genis for his language.

It was…almost laughably true. The look on Kratos' face was almost complete and utter contempt, but…there was a substantial amount of shock written in his stoic features as well.

"I'm trying _really_ _hard_ to like you, I mean, I bet you're not bad when you're not acting like you've got a _stick up your ass._ So start actually trying, or we'll kick you out and learn to deal." As Lloyd spoke, he gained confidence. Or perhaps he was merely focused on something other than the burning fury in his father's eyes. He crossed eyes arms, met Kratos' eyes, and paled. With the look the elder man was giving him, Lloyd suddenly understood how he'd gained the title _Angel of Death._

"You honestly think that _you_ could lead this _mess_ of a Chosen's group on a Journey around the world by _yourself?_ A seventeen-year-old who not only got his village destroyed, but was captured by _Desians_ on his first expedition though the desert and had to be save by the very people he was _pretending_ to protect?" Kratos' eyes blazed; his words were soft, but they carried with them the anger, disgust, and distrust he felt for Lloyd at that moment. "You are a child playing compared to the reality of this world. If you have neglected to notice, this world is _dying_ and we are the last hope, so _think_ before you open your mouth." With that, the purple-clad mercenary stormed away, his cape fluttering in the soft desert breeze.

"…he's a jerk." Much to Lloyd's horror, it was_ Colette_ that made the statement. Lloyd turned to her, shock written across his expressive features.

"No, he's…he's got something going on that we don't get, I think. He's just taking it out on us…" In seconds, Lloyd had gone from shouting at Kratos to defending him. "He's not good with people, that's all…"

"I think we should just leave him here to pout and we can go release the seal on our own." Genis crossed his arms, looking to his sister and Colette for support, which he seemed to be getting.

"…I feel as if I have to agree. I'm sure the trial is difficult, but Mr. Aurion would be of little real use to us if he is in such a mood…" Lloyd looked at Raine, the normally level-headed, logical Raine. Now _she_ wanted to dump him too?

"And he needs time to calm down. I'm sure we can do it. You'll protect us, won't you, Lloyd?" Colette smiled cheerily at Lloyd as he felt his stomach drop to his feet.

"You guys _can't_ be serious! I can't protect you! We _need_ Kratos!" Because the world _would_ end if the mercenary didn't side with them. Oh shit, Lloyd hadn't even _foreseen_ this kind of problem. He had always been worried about the "what if's" of Kvar and the outside world, he'd never even figured into his plans that there would be _more_ internal strife! He'd hoped calling out Kratos would _minimize_ the fighting, not make it worse! "Look, give me ten minutes to talk to him. If he doesn't come back, then we can go in alone, but let me talk to him!"

He gained dubious looks from his friends. "Lloyd…does it matter that much to you?" Raine raised a slender, silver eyebrow at his insistence.

"_Yes."_ Lloyd's hands clenched into fists behind his back. "Yeah, D-Kratos is a jerk, but we haven't exactly been trying real hard either! Give him a chance!"

"…ten minutes, Lloyd." Raine made the executive decision.

"…Raine…thanks…"

Lloyd turned away to follow after his father, but he was still in earshot when Genis whispered, "…since when does Lloyd call you "Raine" Sis?"

"I…don't know."

Again, Lloyd cursed himself. In the future, it had been _years_ since he'd actually called Raine "Professor," only when he was teasing her, actually… He needed to fall back into his old habits, but it was never so easy, was it?

But, to focus on the task at hand: Lloyd could hear his father walking, several yards away, behind several large columns that had fallen some hundreds of years ago. He slipped around the corner of one to see the mercenary standing and staring off into the desert.

"…hey," Lloyd said as way of announcing his presence, "…Kratos, I'm sorry." It was hard to say, even to his father, but he had already made up his mind to do whatever was necessary. So what if his dignity died a little? This was the _world_ at stake, here!

"…" his father didn't even bother to turn and look at him. "…your friends agree with you."

"They don't know what's good for them. You're right; we can't make it through this Journey without you…" Why was admitting you're wrong so _hard?_ He took a deep breath to stop the stubbornness that wanted to overwhelm his mouth. "Come back and help us release the seal."

"…I am not fool enough to believe that you _want_ me to return, Irving."

"Origin_ above,"_ Lloyd growled under his breath, "Da-Kratos don't be stupid. I'm _eating my words_ here, so please don't be an ass and just _pretend_ to go along with it at the very least!"

"…" Finally, the elder man turned to look at Lloyd; his red eyes were clouded with doubt and distrust. "…you, Lloyd Irving, make little sense."

"…heh," Lloyd chuckled nervously, not liking the look he was receiving, "What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

"…you exhibit mannerisms that I've only ever seen men use when they _want_ something. One moment you are shouting at me, and the next you are apologizing. You want something."

"…I just wanna save the world." Lloyd met Kratos' eyes, but they gave away nothing but suspicion and Lloyd almost hoped that his were doing the same. He had never been quite so good at disguising his emotions. He just hoped the desperation he was feeling wasn't so obvious.

"…then it seems that, for the moment, our goals are the same. We should move before your friends attempt to enter without either of us." Without another word the purple-clad mercenary strolled off in the direction of Lloyd's friends. Lloyd knew that he should be relieved, but for some reason the tense breath that he was holding went unreleased.

His father still hated him, his friends were suspicious and apparently turning their backs on said angel and they hadn't even released the first seal yet! Lloyd could only hope that it had been this bad last time and he just had been too oblivious to notice it. He knew the Sages and Kratos had always hated each other, but Colette… He hadn't even realized that she _could_ not like someone! Once Kratos chilled out and everyone started saving everyone else's life and the group realized that they needed Kratos' help, things would calm down, but until then, Lloyd had a feeling that he'd be swallowing his pride a few more times.

….

_R&R!_

_~Yoshi_


	10. Chapter 10

_We've hit chapter 10, isn't that a scary thought?_

_This was another rather evil chapter. Nothing, I repeat, _NOTHING_ is less interesting than this first Temple. I'm sure the self that was writing the five chapters of Luin Hell at the beginning of UR would disagree, but seriously, you can't even mess with this temple or any of the battles unless you're seriously in the mood to eff with stuff. It's such a pain. I stuck with my favorite method of getting them through the dungeon though—character insight. My Freshman Comp teacher would be so proud. _-_-'

_Well…if I haven't already made my pairing clear, we're going to lay it out in this chapter. I'm not going to get a lot of love for this, but this fic is going to be mostly centered around conflict, not romance, so keep reading even if you don't support the pairing, I hope you'll still enjoy it._

….

Raine raced ahead of the group, practically skipping through the ruins, toward the center where a large stone platform stood above the rest of the fallen ruins. It was…sorta intact, Lloyd figured, it was the only thing with still-standing columns and not _too _cracked stone. Raine raced up the stairs and froze at the top, her back ridged, and Lloyd could only hope that whatever it was, it was _good._ Maybe she was just fangirling…a lot. Hopefully.

When the others reached the top with her, Lloyd was relieved to see that there weren't any huge holes blown in the stone that would signify that someone had broken in, and there wasn't an oddly turned stone, and his father wasn't on edge because he'd heard something. No, everything seemed…decently normal.

Or as normal as things got around them.

"Oh! This is_ marvelous!_ The slab covering the platform is obviously from a different composition than the surrounding stone! It's_ magnificent!_ And _feel_ the smooth surface! It's _wondrous! _Why, this is _polycarbonate!_ It was developed during the ancient war to defend against magic! It hasn't been seen in _centuries!_ And this stone! It reads in angelic! I believe it says _"Oracle Stone"!_"

"It has my family's crest on it…" Colette blinked, looked at the small, flat stone. Lloyd walked over to her, around the red Genis and the glaring Kratos to look at the Oracle Stone with Colette.

"I wonder if that's how we get inside…" Lloyd resisted the urge to touch it, considering all it took was a little angelic mana signature and the door would open. Talk about giving yourself away!

"…you think, Lloyd?"

"Indeed! Why _do_ you think that? _How_ do you think it works?" Suddenly, Raine was hovering just behind them and Lloyd jumped at her proximity. Not that he was _unused_ to it, but it was rather…unexpected.

"Well, it's got the Chosen's seal, so why _wouldn't_ it be how we get in? Why put it here if that's not how we get inside?" Lloyd pointed out the obvious, resisting the urge to sigh.

"Hmm, solid logic. Colette, why don't you put your hand on it and see if Lloyd's theory works!" Raine looked practically… _aroused_ by the thought of what lay beneath the stone. Lloyd, again, resisted the urge to groan.

"Of course, Professor!" Colette smiled and did as she was told. Just as expected, the ground began to shake and the polycarbonate—the oh-so-sexy polycarbonate, seriously, what did it have that he didn't!—began to move… on its own. Slowly, inch by inch, the stone crept back to reveal steps that lead down into a dark hole. Lovely.

How wind blew up from below and Lloyd choked on the scent of ancient dust and, what he assumed, was the decay from countless dead. Disgusting.

"…FANASTIC!" Raine screeched, "WE MUST INVESTIGATE!" and without another word, she plunged into the darkness.

"Ugh," Lloyd groaned as he took up the back of their line-up wandering through the Temple of Fire, "talk about _out of the frying pan and into the fire_… Goddess, now I sound like Yuan." The last was whispered and Lloyd wiped the gathering sweat from his brow and sighed.

"It's the Seal of _Fire_ Lloyd, we're in a _desert,_ what did you expect? A nice cool breeze and a cool glass of water?" Genis snapped from his place next to Raine.

"…" Lloyd didn't answer; again, he wasn't _hot,_ but he could feel his body overheating, he could feel every bead of sweat that covered his skin. What he wouldn't give for a cool shower and some ice cream. Lloyd blew several strands of auburn and brown hair out of his face where the humidity had left it hanging limply. It was like an _oven_ inside the Temple; nastily hot and getting hotter as they moved closer to the open lava. Why the _hell_ would anyone _choose_ to build a city over _lava?_

Raine was far ahead of Kratos, who was supposed to be leading the party, running her hands lovingly over some old writing carved into the wall. Genis was obviously looking everywhere but at her and would blush red every time she made a loud exclamation about how _beautiful_ the ruins were or how _smooth_ they were.

"…it sounds like she wants to have sex with them…" Genis growled to Lloyd, too quietly for Colette to hear several steps away, but Kratos' soft snort of contempt told Lloyd that the mercenary was listening.

_Because he hears all,_ Lloyd thought sarcastically, still slightly peeved over their earlier disagreement. "…It's kinda scary, honestly…"

"…just a little bit…now try _living_ with her."

Lloyd rolled his eyes, choosing not to answer Genis' question. They moved out of the initial tunnel and three passageways opened, one each to the right and left and one that lead directly forward. It was still dark, but golden-orange light lit the soot-covered stone bricks that lined the tunnel seem to glow in the darkness. Raine, choosing the path without asking any of them, plunged into the tunnel directly in front of them and from ahead they heard a gasp of "MARVIOULOUS!" And, after a series of exasperated looks exchanged between the three males in the party, all suddenly united as the only sane minds in the group, they followed after her.

Lloyd hadn't been to the Temple of Fire in years, so the sight of the inner city was still breathtaking. They were deep inside the mountain that the Triet Ruins rested against, so the ceiling was several hundred feet above their heads; buildings and apartments were built into the rough stone walls, but it wasn't this that caused the awe. The city was just as the rumors and tales claimed: a city of glass. All the walkways were made of glass, several feet thick and often colored differently. Much of the coloring was faded by the years and the heat, but it was still beautiful.

Up the walls and over the bricks, hieroglyphics displayed history that was far too old to be the history of the city.

"The ancient secrets of the Triet Ruins…" Raine whispered, her hands running over the stone, her voice echoing in the vast chamber. "They say that this is the reason the city was destroyed…"

They knew more than they should have. About the Kharlan War, about Mithos the Hero, the Goddess Martel, and Mithos couldn't allow that information to become common knowledge, so he had the city destroyed. By Kratos.

Lloyd's eyes flickered to the mercenary's face, hoping to see some flicker of remorse in the stoic man's face, but nothing, not a whisper of emotion flitted through his as he surveyed the city. Lloyd resisted the urge to sigh, knowing both Kratos and Genis, who stood next to him, would hear and question him, something he would rather not have happen.

"…it's so pretty!" Colette's exclamation snapped Lloyd from his thoughts and he turned to see the Chosen leaning over the side of the glass platform to look down at the bubbling lava, nearly a mile beneath their feet.

"Colette!" Lloyd was beside her in a second, pulling her away from the edge and back onto the part of the platform that was _less_ likely to crumble away under their feet. A few broken shards of glass broke away from the spot where Colette had been standing moments before and tumbled down to be engulfed by the heat. "…I would stay more toward the middle, don't want you to get hurt…"

"Oh _Lloyd,_ that was so close! Thank you!" Colette clung to him and beamed and Lloyd smiled back; looking back at the Journey, Lloyd was shocked that he hadn't realized that Colette had feelings for him. He looked into her big blue eyes and mentally sighed: she was one of his best friends, but they'd _grown up_ together, and, though he loved her, it was in a…little sister kind of way. She was a sweet, innocent, pretty girl…but the thought of kissing her didn't appeal to Lloyd in the least.

"Heh, no problem, Colette. I _am_ here to make sure you're safe! Gotta earn my keep."

Kratos sighed in exasperation from behind them and Genis rolled his eyes, obviously thinking that they were having "a moment." Raine didn't seem to notice a thing in her ruin-mode. Lloyd echoed his father's sigh mentally and walked forward, away from Colette, feigning looking around for any sign of enemies.

"…you'd think there'd be more monsters around here…" Lloyd said, thinking aloud.

"I've been contemplating much the same, we must be on our guard…" Lloyd nodded and his hand gravitated toward the hilt of his sword.

"_Goddess,_ the two of you are so jumpy!" Genis rolled his eyes, "I'd take it as a _good sign_ that nothing's jumped out at us yet, but both of you have to be so _negative!"_

"…well…the priests _did_ say there'd be trials, so they might be right, Genis…" Although the pessimism went against Colette's nature, she attempted to defend Lloyd and Kratos against Genis.

"We need to decipher the puzzles and make our way through these ruins. There is probably an inner chamber of some sort that houses the altar that the Chosen must pray at." Kratos' logic was excellent. So excellent, in fact, that Lloyd thought maybe he'd done this before. "Ms. Sage," growled the mercenary, "in your…_extensive_ search of the hieroglyphs, have you learned anything _useful?"_ His voice was icy in these depths of hellish heat.

"…don't provoke her," Lloyd muttered, moving closer so that Kratos could hear him, "I've never seen her like this before, but she's _freaky,_ I wouldn't push it. She's smacked me over the head for less…" Kratos glared at him and Lloyd just shrugged it off, "I'm only trying to keep you alive."

The elder man turned back to snap at the Professor, but it was at that moment she turned around and the insane glint in her icy blue eyes deterred whatever words that would have come out of his mouth. "…we should get moving," he said instead, making sure to keep a respectful tone. Lloyd would have laughed, but he himself was acting in much the same manner.

"Yes!" cried Raine, "To the inner Temple!"

It was difficult for them to keep up with her pace, despite the fact that she seemed to pause for long periods to stare at walls or run her hands over huge columns. Genis was horrified by her antics, Colette amused by how happy the Professor was, Kratos merely seemed agitated, but Lloyd had slightly bigger concerns.

Namely, the fact that _no monsters were attacking._ He, for some reason, felt as if the whole Temple was holding its breath, waiting for something. Or to see how something would react. He scanned the domed ceiling overhead but saw no sign of the massive fiery birds that had attacked them on their past expeditions, there wasn't even a stir of magma beasts—Lloyd couldn't remember for the life of him what their actual name was!—in the lava below. Something was _very_ wrong.

He wanted to share his concerns with someone, preferably Kratos, but to do so would demonstrate more knowledge than Lloyd was technically allowed to have at the moment. Goddess, what a _pain._ Still…there might be some way to voice his worry without making the other suspicious.

There was a lull in their running as Raine was once again fawning over a ruin in the wall, asking Colette if it was angelic and questioning Genis on the history of the ruins, and Lloyd chose that moment to speak to his father.

Choosing his words carefully, he began, "Hey…Kratos, um…" He paled when the mercenary turned his eyes to the boy, "I-I was just wondering, isn't this place supposed to be some huge trial? So…where are the monsters? The traps? The puzzles?"

"…and here I thought you were unobservant. Or so I'd gotten the impression from your… friends. Yes, I was wondering much the same, there doesn't seem to be any sign of monsters, although I think your teacher is leading us in the wrong direction, that would be the lack of traps and the like."

"But…the monsters? There's _nothing,_ I don't hear a thing and, I don't know, something just seems…wrong."

"…indeed. Perhaps something larger and more powerful has taken up residence here, monsters generally chose not to fight for food but go where it is easiest. If there is something competing with them, they could be in hiding…" Kratos turned away again to watch the rest of their party. "It worries me."

"Yeah, me too…"

_What the hell is going on?_ Lloyd pondered the thought as they began to move again, keeping his senses open for anything and everything. When Colette stumbled, he leapt a foot into the air, luckily he was in the back of the group and had managed to collect himself before Kratos turned to see what had happened. _What could have spooked the monsters in this place? There were plenty last time, how could something have _changed_ this much? It should all be the same! Nothing in the Temple is any different. Well, nothing but-but _me…

That was, obviously, when it hit him: _he_ was the thing that was scaring the monsters. Unlike angels, half-elves, and elves, they sensed mana in a different way, making it nearly impossible to shield mana signatures from them. Meaning a half-angel Eternal Swordsman from the future would easily be recognizable…so they were scared shitless…of _him._ Nice.

He sighed and looked around, _okay, no monsters: very convenient, but…_ But they were going in the _wrong direction_, led not by an intent to find the Oracle and get the hell out of there but by Raine's craze to see the _entire city._ Considering the size, Lloyd figured they could explore for about two days before they saw the whole thing, but, they would get farther and farther from the seal. Time to take drastic action.

"…Professor?" Lloyd called, running up to her, "Professor Sage!" _Avoid physical contact, she might flip and Genis would get suspicious…_ "Professor, where are we going?"

She turned to look at him, her blue eyes filled with that ruin mania that Lloyd had come to fear.

"What do you mean, Lloyd?"

"Well," Lloyd tilted his head to the side, "aren't you taking us to the seal? I mean, we've been in here for awhile and I haven't seen anything Martel-y, I figured we woulda found it by now…" The only way to get Raine to do what he wanted her to was to remind her _why they'd come in the first place._ She'd act like she'd been planning it the whole time, then lead them in the right direction. She wouldn't be happy, mostly embarrassed, when they got out later that night, but they'd get the job done and she'd be alright in a few days. He thought.

"What-? O-oh, the seal…yes, of course, I was…following what I thought might have been a lead, but it appears I was wrong. Come, we should return to the correct path." As the half-elf strolled off, her head held high but her cheeks pink from more than the heat, Lloyd shot a small smile at Genis. For a moment, the mage blinked after his sister, then looked up at Lloyd and a slow, malicious smirk caught his lips as he realized what Lloyd had done.

_Thank you,_ he mouthed and Lloyd's smile widened into a grin. They started back the way they'd come, Colette skipping after Raine and Kratos attempting to keep up with her while Lloyd and Genis wandered along in back. "…you are evil and manipulative, you know that?" Genis gave Lloyd a mock-glare, rather trying to imitate Kratos.

"It got us moving, didn't it? And it's not like you haven't done stuff like this before!"

When Genis shrugged noncommittally, Lloyd rolled his eyes, "You've lived _this_ long, meaning you probably haven't eaten _that_ much of her cooking," he pointed out. "Don't tell me you've never talked her out of making your supper."

"Okay, okay, whatever…I wonder if we're actually going in the right direction this time."

Lloyd looked around; the path looked _decently_ familiar, now that they'd moved back to the main-way. "Well…I don't think we're _lost._ Professor! Kratos! Do we know where we're going?" Lloyd raised his voice so the elders could hear him.

"Of course we do!" snapped Raine indignantly.

"…we're closer, at the very least, than before…" Kratos' voice dripped with sarcasm. Raine huffed from in front of him. _That_ was obviously a blossoming relationship, Lloyd thought sarcastically.

"…what's that?" Colette's voice broke across the beginnings of a fight between Kratos and Raine as the whole group turned to look at where Colette was pointing. Her slim finger directed their eyes toward an indent in the stone wall that flanked the left side of the passage they were wandering. Within was, quite obviously, a torch. A _fresh_ torch, dry wood, unburned and seemingly waiting for them.

"It's a torch, dear," Raine sighed.

"Why?"

"Well they lived _in a cave,_ Colette," Genis pointed out, "They needed them to see!"

"Oh…but if we're in a cave that they used to live in and we can see, why would they need torches, we don't need them?" In her simple questions, Colette had seen what both Sage siblings had fail to: the torch was there _unnecessarily. _The floor had some sort of glowing mana embedded in it, making it perfectly bright inside the cave; no need for a torch. Kratos and Lloyd, both having been in the Temple several times in the past, had already known this, but both faked interest and fascination with the new development.

"…Chosen, you may be on to something," Kratos was as complimenting as he ever got; he was probably just glad_ someone_ had figured out the puzzle so they could get out of there faster.

"…so…we light it and see what happens?" Colette tilted her head to the side, blond hair falling to the side.

"…uh, I guess?" Lloyd walked over and, taking aim, shot a blast of flame from the sorcerer's ring into the mess of cloth and wood. At once, it caught and bright orange flames waved at them. Lloyd didn't have time to watch the fire because the floor began to move. Despite the fact that he had known this would happen, he jumped and fell as everyone but Kratos did, his eyes going wide. Immediately, he reached out and grabbed for Colette who, thankfully, was at the center of the moving platform and was in no danger of toppling off into the magma below. "K-kay, I think we're going in the right direction…" Lloyd stammered when they had stopped moving.

"So it would appear." Grabbing Colette, Kratos swept haughtily off the platform and onto slightly more solid ground. Lloyd followed quickly and then Raine and Genis joined them. "…" Kratos mutely looked at the warp pad before them, "…that was easier than one would have assumed…"

"I say 'count your blessings'," Lloyd grinned and walked onto the warp pad, feeling himself stretch away as his body dissolved from being and, the moment the world blacked out, it appeared again. He was in the seal room.

It was all that Professor Sage could have wanted and more; the sloping ceiling was held in place by huge marble columns that lined the sides of the room. They, and the walls, were carved from red stone, inlayed was gold and black. The ruins depicted battle scenes with indistinguishable writing narrating them throughout the room. In several images, Lloyd recognized Efreet, the Summon Spirit of fire. In some he was helping the people…in others, he was destroying them. Lloyd shuddered at the ferocity on the so-called "Red Giant's" face as he ripped the city apart.

Behind him, Lloyd heard the others enter through the warp and he moved forward, toward the altar. The altar itself was a wide, low platform, decorated with more ruins.

"So…" Lloyd asked and turned to the adults, "…what happens now?"

"…I would assume we'll be tested," murmured Kratos.

Raine did not answer as Genis were practically holding her back from examining the altar.

"So what kinda test—" Lloyd broke off when there was a hissing sound from behind him and he rounded in time to see a monster step forward. It was huge and looked almost feline, but much, much bigger. Its maw opened and from it emitted a mind-blowing roar that shook the very foundations of the room. Lloyd automatically took a step back, backing into Kratos and looked up at the elder man.

Kratos, unlike the rest of the party, was focused not on the creature before them, but the smaller to each side. They were _floating,_ spitting fire, and practically miniature versions of the _thing_ between them.

_Right…forgot there were—are—three of them…damn…_ Lloyd's eyes, widened slightly as he remembered how _not easy_ this battle had been. Last time he'd gotten badly scorched and Genis had passed out from the strain. Only Kratos, and Colette because he'd been protecting her, had been in any shape to move when the battle had ended…and that, of course, had changed when Colette had collapsed outside the Temple because of the Angel Toxicosis.

"…should I go for the little one on the right?" Lloyd asked in an undertone, "Kratos…?"

"…yes. Chosen, Mr. Sage, distract the other small one. Until the both of those are dead, I'll keep the one in the middle busy. When you finish yours, assist me. Ms. Sage, heal and cast any of your spells when you get the chance." Then, Kratos charged.

"…Raine, focus mostly on healing, Colette, don't get too close, these things spit fire, Genis, ice spells'll do the most damage, so focus on them if you can. We've got plenty of orange gels, so use them if you have to." Lloyd's explanation was hurried and, before he was really done giving orders, he was charging across the room to stop the smaller creature from killing Kratos from behind while the mercenary focused on the larger threat.

"_Sword Rain!"_ Lloyd's hands moved too fast to see as he cut into the smaller beast's upper thigh. It roared in fury and rounded on him, thoroughly distracted from Kratos. Lloyd was forced to leap out of the way of a swift, clawed kick and duck beneath a swinging tail. He used the duck to roll and pop up on the other side of it, shouting _"Beast!"_ He knocked it away; the creature flew several feet across their small battlefield and smacked into one of the pillars, causing the room to shake again.

Lloyd charged at it again, his gloved hands clutched around the metal handles of his blades as he attempted to take advantage of the fallen beast's temporary stun. He did not get there in time, however, and was forced to guard against raging claws that scored the surface of the perfect green sphere that had appeared around him. As the spell died away, the beast's claws fell back on him and Lloyd, unable to dodge, held his swords up in an X, hoping that this wouldn't be the end.

"_Photon!"_ From behind him, Lloyd heard Raine scream the spell and a burst of light mana rushed over him, taking form around the monster and exploding, causing it to crumple. Lloyd knew it wasn't dead, of course, and he raced around it, shoving his sword between the two horns on its head. There was a whine of pain and the light died from its angry, terrifying eyes.

He turned to survey the rest of the room. Kratos was doing surprisingly well against the big beast in the middle—he was managing to keep it fully focused on him, but Colette, Genis, and Raine weren't doing nearly as well as the Aurions were. Their small monster was progressing across the room toward Raine and Genis and the half-elves' infrequent spells were doing little to deter its progression.

Although Kratos had told them to help_ him_ when they had beaten their own monster, Lloyd disobeyed and charged across the room and shouted _"Sonic Thrust"_ as his left blade pierced the monster's side while the right guarded against the inevitable response that was to come. It came in the form of a swiping tail and Lloyd was forced to use the power of his exsphere to leap into the air to avoid the attack. "Colette! Are you alright?" Lloyd shouted over the sound of continued roars from the monsters that were left.

"I-I…I'm alright!" Colette was too tired to force her usual cheer into her voice, this alone scared Lloyd and as he glanced back at the Sages, he realized just how desperate things had gotten on their end; both half-elves were chewing on orange gels as they attempted their next spells. Genis was shaking slightly, exhausted from mana loss and terror while Raine was leaning more on her staff than using it to cast spells.

"Raine! Heal Colette, then try for another photon on this thing, kay?" Lloyd called, hoping that he wasn't asking too much. "Genis, switch to aqua edge if that's easier for you! Colette, back off until you're healed, then stay mid-field, I'll try to finish this thing off."

In the few seconds it had taken Lloyd to take in the appearance of his companions and give his orders, the beast was back on its feet and charging at him again. He dodged its first few attacks gracefully, but was forced to guard on the next.

"_First Aid!"_ he heard Raine cast behind him and then he heard the cheery sounds of Colette thanking her teacher before a chakram cut through the air and scored a deep slice in the monster's back and shoulders. It rounded on her and Lloyd had to jump the tail again.

The second it was turned away, Lloyd shouted _"Tiger Blade,"_ and leapt into the air, bringing his sword down on the creature's hide.

"_Aqua Edge!"_ cried Genis and several blades of water soured through the air, slicing into it. Blood flowed freely from the cuts that their attacks had made and its movements were slowing substantially. Lloyd slipped around the side of it while Colette through another ring at it and cut into its leg this time.

"_Super Sonic Thrust!"_ Lloyd cried and his blade met with the monster's skull, wind erupted from the end of his blade and sliced the head of the beast off, the bloody gore fell to the ground at his feet and Lloyd backed away from it, twisting his nose against the smell of fresh blood and fluids. He looked up at his friends, grinning, as he backed away, but was met with shocked looks from Raine and Genis. Colette was merely pleased that they'd finished it and was already running off to help Kratos, but the "elves'" eyes displayed wonder and…suspicion at Lloyd's sudden talent.

Lloyd looked away quickly and followed Colette to Kratos' side. The man had worn the final beast down substantially, but it was far hardier than either of the little ones and, despite the many small lacerations that scored its back and shoulders, it was still just as willing to blow fire at them as ever. Lovely.

Kratos dodged the flaming blaze that it sent at him and dropped to his hands and knees and rolled away, trying to keeps its attention on him. Colette's chakram sliced across its shoulders, and Lloyd sonic thrust-ed it, making it scream in pain and round on him. Lloyd backed away, trying to get out of range before it attacked. He was nearly successful. _Nearly,_ because he was still in range of the fire that exploded from its maul, and he smelled burnt hair as he dropped to the ground, working to put out the blaze that had caught his hair.

From the creature's other side, Kratos began to hack at one of its legs in an attempt to confuse it and give Lloyd an opening. His attack did not gain the desired affect and the monster's tail only swung toward him, but Kratos was fast enough to get out of the way before he was hit.

Lloyd had managed to put the blaze out, but was still being advanced on by the monster and, with a shout to Colette to run, he took off running again, to the monster's right, away from Kratos, in hopes that he'd be able to distract it long enough for Kratos to finish it off. The running space was…limited, however, and Lloyd was fast running out of space to run.

Then, with a sickening sound, the monster collapsed and Kratos, looking brutal and blood-splattered, pulled his blade out from the shuddering hide of the monster. Lloyd gagged.

"Erm…nice one Kratos…"

Kratos fixed his ruby eyes on Lloyd and he felt himself pale, one thing never changed, his father was damn_ intimidating._ "…I thought I _told you_ to assist _me_ when you finished with your monster." He growled softly.

Lloyd paled, "I, well, uh, I…uh…see, Colette, Raine, and Genis were kinda… You were holding out fine, you didn't need my help and I'm sure you woulda just sent me to help them anyway. They were doing worse than you so…"

"You should have waited for my _orders,_ not tried to interpret them before they were given!" barked the mercenary in return. Lloyd felt himself redden, whether in embarrassment or anger he wasn't completely sure.

"W-well, we _won_, didn't we? All's well that ends well?"

Kratos snorted, "Hardly."

Lloyd opened his mouth to say something that would have gotten him into more trouble—something that he knew that he would have regretted later—but, almost luckily as he looked at it in hindsight, Remiel intervened at that moment. The flickering light that was the Guardian Angel appeared over the altar and his voice, echoing like thunder in the distance, beckoned Colette before him to pay homage to the Goddess.

Colette slipped between Kratos and Lloyd and around the dissolving carcasses of the monsters they'd defeated and clasped her hands before her, successfully shutting up both Kratos and Lloyd, whispered softly, so softly that Lloyd had to strain his angelic hearing to hear, "Goddess Martel, great protector and nurturer of the earth, grant me thy strength…"

Lloyd felt the anger bubble in his stomach as Remiel appeared. He quietly held himself back from attacking the blond angel as he spun his lies in Colette's head and lead her toward her death. Lloyd was too angry to listen to most of the angel's speech, but he already knew the majority of it.

"…and so we grant you the power of the angels and bid you farewell. You are one step closer to Regenerating the World. The next seal lies across the sea to the east, in a world of boiling water. We await your arrival, my beloved daughter Colette."

….

_Kay, I leave it off there, because you've already got a longer chapter than usual…_

_R&R_

_~Yoshi_


	11. Chapter 11

_Another fluffy, plotty…I'm not sure what exactly you'd call it. There's lots of nothing and a little of everything. Father/Son fans will be pleased methinks. Some Lloyd angst (just a little bit) and general lying…again. Oh, and boobs. Yes, Big Boss, you finally get your serving of Sheena, hope you're happy._

_So…I won't delay this with my ranting any longer…_

…...

A cool wind swept across the desert and ruffled Lloyd's hair, he took a deep breath and felt his body revitalize with the fresh air. It was a cool night, but Lloyd wasn't complaining; after they'd gotten out of the Temple o f Fire, even the hot desert air was better than the oven below. Lloyd, in his bliss at the cool, had forgotten what was to come. When Colette collapsed and Genis, Raine, and Kratos raced forward to help her, he hurried behind them and swore at himself mentally: he _couldn't let his mind wander!_

Of course, that was easier said than done, and while Lloyd could kick himself all he wanted… There was a lot of guilt in what he was doing, every time he thought of how much pain he was causing Colette, he felt his heart jump and his stomach flip. But what was worse was that he had the feeling that Kratos, Raine, and Genis were all getting suspicious. He couldn't afford to screw this up!

He paled when he recalled what he'd heard earlier…

"…_Kratos," Raine's words were a whisper as she crouched close to him. She had no fear of being overhead, despite the fact that she _was._ Lloyd could hear her words as perfectly as if she was speaking them to him. All the same, her words were soft, "I wonder…you have not known Lloyd long, but have you sensed that something strange is going on?"_

_Lloyd blanched; they were only at the first seal and Raine already suspected him! He'd hoped he'd make it to Tethe'alla before they would see that something was going on… But maybe Kratos would cover for him, or claim that he didn't know enough about Lloyd to give an opinion and Raine would think that it was nothing…_

"…_I…must agree." Lloyd's heart sunk, _thanks Dad…_ he thought sarcastically. "He has shown amazing skills for a boy who is self-taught, even with an exsphere…"_

_Oh _damn…

"_He is performing attacks I did not think he was even aware of, he's stronger, faster…"_

"_Indeed…"_

"_What could be the cause…?"_

"_I can think of nothing…there is not a reasonable explanation…"_

Thus the conversation had continued, Lloyd had forced himself to listen, to make sure that they didn't deduce anything he should be aware of, but he felt sick. "I am _so screwed…"_ he muttered, running a hand through his hair and kicking a dusty red boot against the sandy ground.

"…are you now? And why would that be?"

Lloyd froze at the sound of Kratos' voice, he'd let his guard down _again._ Lloyd swore softly in Dwarfish and spun with an awkward, dorky smile plastered on his tanned features.

"Uh, nothing D-Kratos!"

"Lloyd…is there something that you would like to share?" He spoke in a tone that _demanded_ he tell Kratos everything. Great, how was he supposed to deal with _that?_

"No, I think I'm good, why? Somethin' _you_ want to talk about?" Lloyd's weak effort at turning the tables on the conversation fell flat and he worked to stop his shoulders from slumping as Kratos' dark eyes glared at him.

"Lloyd…why did you come on this Journey?"

"I don't know what you're—wait, what?" The last of Kratos' words had only just registered. _"Why_ did I come!"

"That is what I asked, yes."

"I-…but isn't it obvious? I came to _protect_ you guys!"

At Lloyd's words, something in Kratos' posture changed; it was as if the mercenary had flinched, his eyes widening ever so slightly, his hands clenching, one at his side and the other on the handle of his blade. "…you mean you came to protect your friends…" Ah, Lloyd had said "you guys" and that included Kratos.

"Well yeah," Lloyd played it up, distracting his father, "I came to protect_ you guys:_ my friends." Lloyd mentally smirked at the face his father was making as Lloyd included him in the friend count.

"…I suppose that is a good reason; however…is there nothing…else?" Kratos was not to be so easily distracted as Lloyd had hoped.

"…well, I-I want to see the World, I always have…" Lloyd looked away, staring off into the night sky, looking at the starts that glittered above—or rather the projection that the Tower of Salvation created…nothing was fun when you knew everything. Lloyd sighed a bit, caught himself, then realized how well that would fit into the image he was painting for his father, and turned the sigh of sadness into one of longing. "And…I'd like to see if my Dad is still out there, somewhere…"

Out of the corner of his eyes, Lloyd watched Kratos pale. "…" was the only reaction he received.

"I've wondered for years if he's still alive, I mean…he's _gotta be,_ right? No one found any more bodies after my mom's, and Dad…he was a really, _really_ good swordsman, so…"

Kratos' head shot up, his eyes dark and suspicious once again, "…you claim your father was a swordsman…yet you claim to not remember him?"

Lloyd froze; his fingers gripped tightly the handle of his right sword, his neck muscles were suddenly tense and rigid, and his breath caught in his throat. Panic scrawled itself across his face and Lloyd was very glad he wasn't facing Kratos or his cover would have been blown instantly. He would have to pull this off _perfectly_ if he wanted Kratos to believe him, but that was easier said than done. He shifted slightly so that he couldn't see his father—it was far easier to lie to someone when you weren't looking at them—and took a deep breath, thinking as quickly as possible to come up with a feasible lie. "…so maybe I remember a little more than I let on…" he tried; he could have done better at keeping the guilt out of his voice, but…

He suddenly realized how foolish it had been to turn away from Kratos—he couldn't see the elder man's face, and couldn't, therefore, see the affects his words were having, making his job even harder. "I do it for my…Dad-Dirk's sake," he improvised, "Dad…he never wanted me to dwell on my Dad, I think he wanted to help me move on, I was just a kid and I was staying up all night crying, so he thought that it'd be easier for me if I didn't think about him so much…" This lie was swiftly turning into a truth: Dirk _didn't_ like it when Lloyd spoke of his biological father, and Lloyd had spent several of his first months with Dirk crying himself to sleep or sneaking out to curl up with Noishe when the dreams or the tears were too much. He knew that Dirk had only wanted the best for him, but dwarves were very down-to-earth creatures, for obvious reasons, and they didn't believe on dwelling on the past or future, but focusing on the present. And Dirk had been a very new father at the time; he wouldn't have understood what Lloyd was going through.

"…he…wanted you to forget?" Kratos' voice was soft and devoid of emotion. Had Lloyd not known better, he would have assumed that it was a casual or even disinterested question, but Lloyd knew his father well enough to hear the guilt and anger in his tone.

"He only wanted what was best…" Lloyd sighed closed his eyes, allowing the words to flow more freely now that he had the story. "I…remember looking up at the stars with my dad, and riding Noishe, and…well, random other stuff. I'm sure you don't really care…" He shifted again, this time to see Kratos' face: it was as blank as his voice had been, but his eyes glittered with guilt. Lloyd let out a breath that he hadn't realized that he had been holding as he confirmed that Kratos was successfully distracted from his suspicions.

The next words out of the mercenary's mouth surprised and pleased Lloyd. "…I do not suppose you would be interested in beginning your training now…"

"Sure!" Lloyd fully turned to face Kratos, a bright smile plastered on his face. The word was too enthusiastic, he should have taken a moment to answer or even said no had he wanted to keep the charade, but it was too late now. He studied Kratos' face carefully, but this time the elder male gave nothing away and Lloyd mentally cursed himself, but focus was needed now: it was time to fight.

Kratos said nothing, only took a moment to strap his shield to his arm, then, suddenly, he charged. Lloyd had only enough time to dodge out of the way, almost falling, to his left. A moment later, Kratos rounded on him, with a shout of _"Super Lightning Blade"_ he thrust the electrically-charged blade toward Lloyd's stomach. With nimble hands, Lloyd pulled his own swords from sheath and crossed them, handles up, tips down, crossed. He felt the tingles of the electricity as they dispersed into the metal of Lloyd's swords and crawled up to his arms. He grunted and shoved away from Kratos, knowing that he didn't have the angle or the strength to shove the mercenary or even attempt to upset his balance. As soon as he was a few feet away, he readjusted his grip on his blades, and charged.

His blades met with Kratos' shield and Lloyd was forced to dodge out of the way again as Kratos stabbed at his stomach. Part of Lloyd's mind registered that Kratos was testing him, testing him to see if he was as good, _strangely_ good, as he thought. He shouldn't be doing so well! But the rest of Lloyd reacted; skillfully dodging or deflecting each of Kratos' own practiced swings. Left block, right block, jab, swing, right block again; spin, thrust, on and on it went. Lloyd was doing better than he should have, but he purposely tripped or missed on his swings. From what he could tell, Kratos was appeased; he found nothing that should _really_ be out of Lloyd's skill-level.

Lloyd felt happiness bubble in the pit of his stomach; he _adored_ sparring with his father, always had, even when he hadn't know that Kratos was his father, but after the angel had left with Derris-Kharlan, the sparring had…stopped. He had missed it greatly, and now…it was back.

Because if there was one thing he wanted to change—and was perhaps _allowed_ to change—was his father leaving on the comet.

…

Despite Raine's misgivings and concerns, Colette woke the next day feeling and, quite honestly _looking_, as well as she had before she'd released the seal. The Professor still wanted to return to Triet, but Kratos had put his foot down, reminding her that the path to the Ossa Trail was more direct if they went straight east. The desert was crawling with bandits and monsters and the occasional Desian. With Lloyd's history of the area plagued by them, they would be much safer avoiding the city and getting out of the region. Besides, by this time, everyone would have seen the wanted posters of Lloyd and be on the lookout for them.

At least, these were the reasons Kratos gave for his want of a swift departure. Lloyd found he couldn't disagree with the reasoning, considering they had all the supplies they would need—as long as Raine didn't attempt any cooking disasters—and staying in Triet would delay the inevitable. And they hadn't stayed the extra night last time, there was always that too.

Kratos was right, of course; the trip across the desert from the Ruins where they had camped the night before to the Ossa Trail that would take them over the mountains that surrounded the desert and into the coast on the far side and the fishing town of Izoold where they would catch a boat to Palmacosta was much shorter when taken directly. They stood at the entrance of the trail as evening painted the sky with reds and purples and the sun set behind the cliffs rising in front of them. Lloyd raised his voice in wonder with Genis at the sight of the trail and was shushed by Kratos.

Lloyd, knowing what was to come, pricked his ears for any sound and strained his eyes to catch any odd movement or a twitching shadow. He looked to his left, at the cliffs that rose above them and spotted a flicker of purple amongst the shadows: Sheena.

The shadows cast by the cliffs fell over them as they approached the pass in the mountains. Sparse grass covered the path between boulders and the pathway twisted up through the rocks deeper into the chasm, reappearing high above them before disappearing around another peak. To one side, near Colette, Lloyd caught sight of the trap door that would be Sheena's end. If everything went how it was meant to, of course.

"It's _really_ nice to be able to see green again; I was getting so sick of sand…" Genis knelt and ran his hand through a patch of grass.

"Mmhmm!" Colette said brightly, taking a deep breath of sweet-smelling air. "It kinda reminds me of Iselia forest…"

They chatted, the others—minus Kratos, of course—all feeling safer now surrounded by rock. Yet, even Kratos spoke up. "Perhaps we should keep moving, get farther along the path before we set up camp for the evening."

"I would have no problem with that, as long as Colette feel's she's up to it…" Raine's ice-blue eyes moved from her brother to the Chosen. "Do you think you can make it another few hours? Don't lie."

"Don't worry, Professor!" Colette chirped happily. They were all glad to leave the desert behind, yet for some reason Lloyd's sense of foreboding was growing. He tried to write it off as guilt; the guilt of making Colette go through this again, but something nagged in the back of his mind.

_It's like I'm forgetting something…but am I? No unfinished business in Triet, nothing with the Renegades or the Triet Ruins, Sheena's here…and no sign of Desians that aren't where they're supposed to be… What could I be forgetting?_

Nothing, that was the answer; there was _nothing_ that he could be forgetting, so what was this nagging feeling? He sighed and rested a hand against his forehead, brushing the shaggier hair away from his face as he tried to think.

"Lloyd?" Raine's voice cut across Lloyd's half-formed thoughts and his eyes flashed open to find that she was standing right in front of him arms crossed and her blue eyes narrowed suspiciously, "Are you alright? You didn't get heatstroke, did you?"

"N-no Raine, I just…I'm not used to this much walking, getting tired fast, you know…I-I'll get used to it…" Lloyd cursed himself for the blush that was spreading over his cheeks, next she'd be asking about sunburn…

"Hmmm…" Raine pursed her lips angrily, as if didn't believe his story, which Lloyd couldn't exactly blame her for. "…if you say so…" She turned away, as if going to join Colette and Genis, when Sheena made her entrance.

The ninja skirted the side of the cliff, gracefully leaping from ridge to ridge before landing in front of them, successfully blocking their path. Her brown eyes were cold as she examined their party and she stood, arms loose and ready to attack. "…is the Chosen of Mana among you?"

"Oh! That's me!" Without missing a beat, Colette smiled and turned to look at Sheena who, in turn, scowled back at the Chosen.

"Then prepare to die!" It happened so fast Lloyd, even with angelic sight, missed what happened, but he knew, from last time, what happened. All he managed to catch was the "ouch!" made by Colette as she fell back against the ground, the snap of the trap door opening and the gasp as Sheena plummeted down into the hole.

"Oh _no!"_ cried Colette, rising to her feet to then bend precariously over the pit where Sheena had fallen. "Oh, this is all my fault! I hope she isn't hurt! Hello! Hello! Miss? Are you alright!" Colette's hands were clasped and her blue eyes were wide with panic as she waited in vain for an answer. None came, as Lloyd knew none would. The mine was very deep, and though the fall would not _kill_ Sheena, she was winded and unable to talk at best and unconscious at worst. Lloyd suspected the latter, but he wasn't _too_ worried about her state; Corrine would protect her.

"…I don't think she's dead, Colette…" Genis had joined Colette beside the trapdoor and Lloyd walked over to join them, as he had done last time. "Even assuming the hole to be about half a mile deep, and that girl to weigh one hundred and fifty pounds, and the gravity constant is nine point eight…she isn't _dead,_ but she probably got hurt…"

"Oh, I hope she's okay…" Colette's innocent worry about her would-be assassin's state made Lloyd's lips split into a smile and he actually chuckled.

"Only you, Colette. Don't worry about her, Genis says she's not dead and you _would_ be if she hadn't fallen down that mine shaft."

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Raine stiffen, but he didn't understand why. He wrote it off as nothing, perhaps she simply didn't like the look Kratos was giving her, or a cool breeze had hit her back… Lloyd thought little of it.

Raine spoke, drawing his attention further from his thoughts, "Lloyd is right, had she not fallen, she might have killed you. We had best be careful, it is doubtful that she is working on her own. There are probably more people out to get you."

"And this is no place to discuss it." Kratos' voice cut across the beginnings of their discussion, "The footing here is poor, and it is almost dusk. We'd best move deeper into the pass, to a place where we can better guard ourselves, lest her companions, if she has any, choose to attack us now. Besides, we need to set up camp for the night anyway."

A look passed between Genis and Raine, both looked ready to protest, thinking it wiser to remain stationary and discuss their options, but Lloyd jumped in before they could say anything, pulling Colette right along with him, "You're right, Kratos. It's been a long day and it's too open here. And I'm sure Colette is tired, she was sick last night." He glanced at Colette, his eyes silently asking her to play along.

She took the hint, "Okay, let's go!" With Colette and Lloyd already following behind Kratos, the Sages had no choice but to go along as well. They had been outvoted.

…

It must have been midnight before Kratos allowed the group to stop; when he had claimed that they'd best find a "safe" spot to rest for the night, Lloyd hadn't realized this "safe" place would be at the very_ top_ of the mountain pass. It was safe, yes: no one would be jumping down on them while they slept, and the view was lovely, but Lloyd didn't particularly care for the sight, even with every star in the night sky blazing, he just wanted sleep. He collapsed, dropping himself down against the rock and dirt path, not even bothering to pull out his blankets or start a fire, and felt his eyelids droop with exhaustion. It didn't matter that he was an angel, every muscle in his body cried out for sleep and Lloyd was more than happy to comply.

"Lloyd, you're on first watch with Kratos." Raine's voice cut into Lloyd's half-conscious thoughts and his eyes flickered open.

"…huh…?" he mumbled stupidly, "Wha…?"

"You're on first watch."

"You've _got_ to be kidding me…" Lloyd groaned and forced his eyes wider, "I'm _tired,_ and I had first watch last night!"

"So did Kratos, and he isn't complaining…" Professor Sage glared back at Lloyd, her hands planted on her hips. "Lloyd Irving, do _not_ argue with me!"

"…Ms. Sage, I can handle the first watch myself," Kratos cut into the argument, "Let the boy get some rest and I'll wake him for the second." Lloyd's eyes flickered to his father, Kratos' features betrayed none of his thoughts and Lloyd gave up trying to translate what his father was thinking.

Raine huffed and rounded on Kratos, looking murderous, "Lloyd needs to earn his keep!" she snapped severely. "He needs to learn what it means to be on this Journey!"

"So, too, does your brother, the Chosen, and _yourself,_ Ms. Sage. I would not suggest that you make Lloyd take on these responsibilities without first doing so yourself." Kratos' words were sharp, but emotionless. As insulting and bluntly cold as they were…Raine couldn't disagree. If she did, she could be called a hypocrite, yet she couldn't win the argument without a counterattack. Which she didn't have.

"…" Lloyd sighed; he'd have to give up his own nap time to keep the group together. Why was life so difficult? "…fine, I'll take the shift, the Professor's right, I'll have to learn to deal with this stuff eventually…" Lloyd shoved his packs off to the side and walked over to Kratos, pointedly ignoring the shocked look Genis was giving him and Colette's beam—he wasn't in the mood for dealing with this, he was too tired. He snuck a glance at Raine's face and saw that, while she had _technically_ won the argument, she was still livid. Of course.

She stomped away, over to her things and began pulling out bedrolls. Lloyd watched her for a long moment, knowing that he'd ended the conversation in the most painless way possible. For them, not for him, but Raine, still angry from the events at the Triet Ruins and the later near-argument at the base of the pass, and all of that coupled with the exhaustion of being pushed on far past her normal limits had probably pushed Raine near the edge. Lloyd sighed mentally and looked over at Kratos; the man's emotions were better masked than the Professor's were, but Lloyd could see the distaste written in his actions: he didn't approve of how much sway the teacher had over his son.

He moved closer to Kratos, not wanting to begin the next of three hours with the man angry and knelt down beside him as Kratos began to attempt a fire, "Hey, thanks for back there." He kept his voice light and genuine. "Do you want me to go get some more firewood?"

Kratos' red eyes flashed up to meet Lloyd's and for a moment there was almost _affection_ in them, but it was gone moments later and the man only nodded and murmured softly, "Yes." It was enough for Lloyd, now easily able to read the elder man's hidden emotions, he could see that, while still annoyed, the anger was at least not at him.

Lloyd separated himself from the rest of the group, slipping off to the side and away from the growing firelight. He yawned, running over things to say to Kratos later, but his mind was numbing with exhaustion and he repeatedly lost track of what direction his thoughts were supposed to be taking. Suddenly, something wet touched his elbow and Lloyd leapt a food in the air, dropping the wood and pulling out a sword, only to find that he was pointing said sword at the snout of his dog. Noishe whined in annoyance and Lloyd began to blush sheepishly, the blood rushing to his cheeks. "S-sorry Noshy, you scared me…" He bent down to pick up the dropped wood and, in retaliation to the drawn blade, Noishe bumped his snout against Lloyd's backside, causing Lloyd to topple over and drop the wood.

"Noshy!" he growled threateningly, "Tired and high-strung and attacked by dog at midnight is _not_ a good combination." It was supposed to be teasing, but the statement came out a little sharper than Lloyd had intended and he sighed. "Sorry Noshy, I'm under a lot of stress… Going back in time to save the world sounded like a good idea at the _time,_ but it's harder in practice…"

Noishe whined as Lloyd rose to his feet and patted the Protozoan on the head, "Come on Noshy, let's go get more wood or Raine'll flip…"

…

The sun was bright the next day, but not nearly as hot as it had been in the desert. Lloyd found that he was tired, not physically, but mentally. It had only been a week and already the stress of time-traveling was fraying his nerves. Everything, every move that he made, he had to _think_ about, he couldn't just act. He had to _think_ while he talked to his friends so that he wouldn't say something foolish…or more likely too intelligent. What was perhaps worse was that he had to be careful what moves he used in battle, as he'd learned from the battle at the Seal of Fire.

Even now, Colette and Genis walked with him, quietly joking and teasing and just _talking,_ as friends should, but Lloyd's mind was far from the conversation and he had the feeling they were both aware of how distant he was.

His thoughts were proved when Genis tentatively caught his attention, "…Lloyd?" Lloyd, whose attention had been on the rocks that had fallen down the side of the cliff above them and was searching for the culprit, flicked his eyes to his friend. There must have been some dark emotion in his eyes, because Genis paled. "…are you okay? You've been…kinda funny lately. Ever since the Temple, actually, before that…that morning; you've been acting like a totally different person…"

Lloyd grimaced, "It's nothing, Genis, I'm just…stressed… It's…personal stuff…" He invented, knowing the half-elf wouldn't believe him no matter what he said.

"Lloyd…" Colette sounded _sad,_ as if she had always thought better of Lloyd and he was letting down her high expectations. Lloyd was vividly aware that both Kratos and Raine were also listening to the conversation. "Something's wrong…what is it?"

"…please talk to us, Lloyd!" Genis' face was red as he grew agitated, "We're your _friends,_ we're worried about you!"

Lloyd took a deep breath and let the words flow, "…what _isn't_ wrong?" Suddenly, his voice was loud, echoing off the walls of the mountain around them, "In one day I help break into a Ranch, find out my mother was murdered by _Desians, _and see an angel. The next day I'm kicked out of the village I grew up in for trying to help someone, oh, did I mention I _killed_ the person I was trying to save? Oh, and _Kvar_ is in Iselia, the very bastard that killed my mother! Then we're banished and wander around the desert for ages, then I'm given some cryptic shit from a bat who thinks she knows the _future,_ then I'm kidnapped by Desians! Now someone _else_ is out to kill us! Dammit, that's a lot of stress!" Lloyd blinked, realizing that much of that…rant was true.

"…Lloyd…" Colette was sad now, as if she thought that everything that Lloyd had ranted about had been _her_ fault. "I'm so, so sorry…"

"S'not your fault, Colette…" It was his.

"Please! Don't feel like all of that was your fault, you were just trying to save that woman! It wasn't your fault that the Desians attacked the village, but I'm sure after we regenerate the world, everything will work out in the end, I swear…"

"Cute, but unfortunately, you won't be regenerating _anything,_ Chosen!" The group rounded to see Sheena standing to the side, a guardian card clasped between her fingers, Corrine standing by her side. "Prepare to die!"

Lloyd was almost shocked to find that they'd already made it down and out of the pass, that through his rant, they'd continued moving. He didn't have time to dwell, however, as Sheena had summoned her guardian and charged. Lloyd moved, following his fist instinct to shove Colette out of the way and move into defensive position in front of her. Genis and Raine automatically fell back to cast and Kratos charged at the assassin as well, but Corrine followed the half-elves and Kratos was met by the guardian, leaving Lloyd to face off against Sheena himself.

The ninja raced up, slamming a card against Lloyd's blades and it exploded, sending Lloyd flying away; he spun in midair and landed on his feet. Repositioning his grip on his swords, he charged at Sheena even as she raced after Colette.

"You won't be so lucky this time, Chosen One!"

"She doesn't _need_ luck!" Not wanting to hurt Sheena too badly, he slammed his boot into her side. It was her turn to go flying and she hit the far cliff with a grunt and dropped to the ground. Lloyd saw a flash of light and Sheena landed on her feet, charging back at him. He dodged her first card and ducked under the knife that she attempted to bury in his forehead.

Lloyd used the butt of his sword and slammed it into her gut. Sheena grunted and seemed close to collapsing, but she lashed out at him all the same. Lloyd slipped around the next card that came at him and slipped around behind her and thumped the hilt of his sword against her head. Sheena's eyes glazed and she dropped like a stone. Lloyd dropped down by her side, grabbing her wrist and locating a pulse. Once he was sure she was alive, he turned to see what had happened to his friends.

The guardian that Kratos had been battling had vanished when Sheena had collapsed, her spell broken, and Corrine was backing away, toward Sheena, growling—mostly at Lloyd. Lloyd dropped the would-be assassin's hand and stood, stepping back, away from Sheena. Corrine bolted forward to her and, in a small puff of smoke and light, they vanished.

….

_Huh…that was longer than I meant it to be. Well, whatever. That's Sheena in a nutshell…next chapter will probably be the duration of Izoold, then onto Palmacosta where we may just find the plot…maybe._

_R&R_

_~Yoshi_


	12. Chapter 12

_Gods, I'm so sorry it took me so long to update, school got _really_ stressful all of a sudden and I didn't have time for writing. Then, of course, I got writer's block. No matter how I construed Izoold, it was boring and repetitive, so I said "screw it!" and picked up with them in Palmacosta. The plot has RETURENED! And all you Rodyle fans will be pleased :)… are there actually any of those? -_-'_

_Anywho, although it's a bit shorter than usual, I ended up rather fond of this chapter. Enjoy~_

….

"You little bitch!"

"Oh my, I'm so sorry! I'm so clumsy!"

"That was a _very_ expensive potion, how exactly do you plan on paying us back for that?"

"Who the hell says we have to pay you back for _anything?_ It was just a stupid potion! Besides, you should have watched where you were going too!" Lloyd's hands were clenched at his sides as he stood behind Colette, glaring at the imposters.

The past week was a blur of Izoold and ocean; at the fishing port Lloyd had gotten them a boat by "accidentally" walking into Lyla and asking her what she was muttering about. The woman had come out with the story after a little prodding. After making up a story about hearing someone say that the root of her problem, Aifread the Pirate, had returned to his hometown, Lyla had begged Lloyd to take a letter to him. When Lloyd had pointed out that he couldn't get a boat, she'd said that she'd pull a few strings for him and the others and lo and behold, two days later they were on a boat making their way to Palmacosta.

The trip itself was tense, monsters roamed the sea, but none showed their ugly faces. It was both easier and harder to hide his secrets from the rest of the group; they lived in very close quarters with one-another, yet, because of the lack of monsters or anything happening, it was more difficult to blow his cover.

They'd reached Palmacosta at dawn on their third day of sailing, and they had barely been in the town thirty minutes when Colette had caused a little bit of chaos with her habitual clumsiness. Thus they stood: Lloyd, Kratos, and Genis all glaring daggers at the group of four that returned fire.

They were the imposters, and as Lloyd recalled how much_ hell_ they'd put the group through, the idea of getting rid of them now seemed very tempting. And in their hands he could even see the Book of Spiritua; if they took the book now, they wouldn't even need to deal with Koton! If they did that, they'd be able to find the seals faster and he'd be a few steps ahead of Kvar and—

The timeline. The reminder flashed through Lloyd's eyes and he sighed inaudibly, recalling angrily how much he _couldn't do._

"That was a gift from the Palmacosta government!" shrieked the foremost woman; she seemed to be the youngest of the group, her face round and her blue hair short. She was dressed in white, a costume that Lloyd could tell was obviously supposed to mimic Colette's own holy robes. Behind her was a mean-faced man with messy hair and ill-fitting armor. He growled several more insulting things about Colette and Lloyd hissed under his breath, harboring images of incinerating the man with Judgment.

"We're causing a scene…" Perhaps the eldest of the group, there was a blond woman standing behind the others, she was clothed in light blue and held a staff, as if she was a magic user but as Lloyd gently probed her mana, he found her to be very, very human.

"I agree. I apologize for my pupil's clumsiness, but there is nothing that can be done for it now," Raine said, meeting her imposter's eyes, as if trying to appeal to her.

The other woman's eyes hardened. "I said no such thing: that was a _very_ expensive potion, and I expect you to pay us back in full."

Lloyd and Genis both went to snap back but were silenced by Kratos and Raine. After he was sure Lloyd wouldn't make the situation worse, Kratos glared coldly at them and growled softly, "We are but simple travelers; how do you expect us to be capable of affording such an 'expensive' potion? If it was a gift, then it is no loss to you."

There was silence as the group of imposters tried to muster the courage to face down Kratos. While they obviously wanted to insist that the group pay for a new potion, to do so they'd have to face Kratos. Lloyd loved his father sometimes.

Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of the last person he would have expected to see. Amongst the sea of brown, black, and blond heads that passed by, a slick purple head bobbed amongst them. Lloyd blinked and actually rubbed his eyes, as if he expected Rodyle to vanish. He didn't, but a few seconds later, he was swallowed by the crowds.

"…Rodyle?" In his shock and worry, Lloyd forgot that he was not the only one standing there. All eyes flickered from Kratos to him.

"What did you say, Lloyd?" Raine looked out into the crowd to where Lloyd was staring but saw nothing. "I don't see anything…"

"What the hell is _he _doing here?" Lloyd's eyes scanning the crowd, "he _can't_ be here yet…!"

"What the hell is he going on about?" growled Lloyd's imposter.

"…did you say _Rodyle?"_ Kratos asked, then cut himself off, realizing a moment too late that he wasn't to know such things. "…he's a Desian." The Seraph's cover was seamless. "Though how you know of such things is a mystery to me…" He swayed the suspicions of the two groups to Lloyd.

Lloyd didn't have time to care, however, and his eyes continued to scan for any flashes of purple.

"…look, this bullshit isn't gonna stop you from paying us back for our potion!" the Raine imposter growled. "Go buy us a new one_ now."_

"…of course we will, this was my fault. I have to pay you back. Come on, Lloyd…" Colette's small hand grasped Lloyd's and she began to pull him away from the imposters; the others followed.

"…Lloyd, who is Rodyle?" Genis asked slowly, as if worried about the answer.

"…he's a guy. A Desian…"

"I've also heard of him, his Ranch is hidden somewhere off the coast of this continent, to the East, but how would you know about him, Lloyd…?" Kratos' eyes stayed on his son.

Lloyd licked his lips but before he could speak, Genis cut in, "Yeah Lloyd, how _do_ you know him? Or Kvar or Forcystus for that matter? You know an awful lot about Desians for having lived in Iselia your whole life…"

"It's a long story…" Lloyd sighed, "So…how exactly are we getting this potion anyway? What _is_ it?" He added the last part in hopes that he'd sound more like his stupid self. It was a weak subject change but, for once, his friends didn't push it, though he had the feeling that he would get it later…

"…" Kratos sighed, "It was a Palma Potion; as you can most likely tell by the name, it is a specialty of Palmacosta. I would imagine one could find it in most shops, finding it isn't the problem, paying for it is."

"Colette just _had_ to break something expensive…" grumbled Genis and he was smacked over the head by Raine.

"I'm sorry…" Colette sighed and Lloyd down. "I should have been more careful, but this city is so pretty, I just wanted to see everything and I wasn't looking where I was going…I'll pay for the potion…"

"Colette, dear, that won't be a problem. We'll all help you pay for it," Raine glared daggers at the rest of the group until they nodded enthusiastically, as in Lloyd and Genis' case, or sighed, as in Kratos'.

"Of course we will, Colette! We're in this together!" Lloyd grinned at her and Colette smiled back. He must have done _something_ right.

"So, let's check this one out, shall we?" Genis and the others started into the shop, but Lloyd stood outside a moment and sighed, attempting to collect his thoughts.

_What is Rodyle doing in Palmacosta? That twisted bastard should be doing shit with the Mana Cannon, not terrorizing the public around here…_ Lloyd shuddered at the thought of what Rodyle could do in a city like Palmacosta._ What has Kvar _done?_ Or is this even something that Kvar is behind…? I always thought that Rodyle had been tricking Kvar. That's what he said before he "died" last time…_ It was true, Rodyle had manipulated Kvar into creating an exsphere powerful enough to power the Mana Cannon, but if Kvar knew what was coming, which Lloyd would not put past him, then it would not have taken much to turn the tables of Rodyle.

Lloyd sighed: there was nothing he could do at the moment; he would have to wait and see what happened. He only hoped it wasn't his own actions that had distorted the timeline.

…

"What do you mean,_ one thousand_ gald!" squeaked Genis, "That's insane!"

"That's the price, kid. Take it or leave it." The gruff shop owner blinked at the child from behind the counter. Genis slumped; while they technically_ could_ afford it, it would mean they wouldn't be eating tonight. Or tomorrow night. Or any time that week. Until they could get out and earn a little more money.

Lloyd sighed, they'd been searching for an affordable Palma Potion for _hours_. The group slunk out of the shop, still potionless and wandered toward the next shop. Lloyd ran a hand through his hair and looked around, then his heart leapt as he realized where they were: the Item Shop Marble's! Although he had to admit that his memories of the place were rather…not good, it was still nice to see the warm shop. Little window boxes perched beneath the two main windows, both filled to bursting with bright flowers. The door was wooden, stained a warm, rich brown. The whole shop was inviting, as Genis, Colette, and Raine seemed to agree. They walked toward the shop, which, while comfortable-looking, also eluded a very feminine feel, and stepped inside. The moment they did so, however, Lloyd instantly wished they could have waited another few minutes.

"Inferior whores," Rodyle clucked, his tone pleasant despite his harsh words, "hand over your gells. Now." The Desians behind him smirked darkly and brandished short swords to back up their Grand Cardinal's words.

"Who the hell are you calling a whore, you bastard?" And there, amongst the chaos, was Chocolat herself. Lloyd flinched mentally at the sight of Marble's granddaughter. "Get the hell out of our shop! We're not selling you anything!"

"Chocolat!" gasped Cacao, "Gentlemen, please forgive my daughter, she does not seem to remember her manners!" Cacao was a woman in her early middle years, but her face was prematurely carved with the wrinkles of a woman who worried constantly. Her brown hair was streaked with gray, but she remained calm. "Please, we have nothing we can offer you…"

"Oh, I disagree. I love a girl with spirit…" Rodyle smirked disgustingly.

"Sir…" one of the Desians muttered, "Sir, we've already hit the quota for this year…it'd be best if we didn't push it. Lord Magnius—"

"Magnius can deal with a few less to cultivate next year," clucked Rodyle, then he caught sight of Lloyd and the others. The disgusting smirk widened, "Well, well, Lloyd, it's been too long. How _are_ you my dear boy?"

"I was better before I saw you." Lloyd made a face, "Tormenting innocents as usual?"

"'Innocents,' you call them. I prefer 'inferior beings.'"

Lloyd's heart was pounding and adrenaline coursed through his veins; he was in his element, but in the back of his mind, he also knew that the others were there. One wrong word and he could blow everything, and they were only in Palmacosta!

"So what are you doing here, anyway? Aren't you a little out of your comfort zone?"

"Oh, Magnius called me inland to help with a…_pest_ problem."

Suddenly, a thought flashed across Lloyd's mind: _how did Rodyle know who he was!_ Through all his panic and planning, Lloyd had forgotten, Rodyle was from_ this_ time, he shouldn't know who Lloyd was! So, he turned it to his advantage. "…how the hell do you know who I am, anyway?"

"Oh my dear boy!" Rodyle chuckled, "Playing games, are we? You have wanted posters up across every continent in the world. I would know that face anywhere!"

Oh…so either Rodyle was playing games too, or that was _actually_ the reason…Lloyd's head was spinning. "…well, whatever the reason, you should get out of here before we kick your _ass."_

"It's not you I'm worried about, Lloyd. But we do have more important matters than arguing with _these_ two." The men were moving as one, as if Rodyle had given some unseen signal, and in a moment, they had left the shop.

"…_wanted posters?"_ Lloyd muttered under his breath, "Dammit…"

"…he was _creepy…_" murmured Colette.

"Yeah…and what was with his outfit? He looked like a turtle…a very creepy turtle…" Genis and Colette's observations had an already jumpy Lloyd giggling slightly as he tried to get rid of the adrenaline pulsing through his blood.

"…" Lloyd felt an angry gaze on the back of his head and turned to see Kratos glaring at him with a promise of questions later, when they weren't in public. He turned to look at Raine and the same emotions were written across her face as well. Lloyd looked away quickly before he began turning red.

"…I do not know what you did," Cacao saved Lloyd by distracting the group, "but thank you for scaring away those Desians…it is dangerous business meddling with others' problems, but all the same I thank you. If there is anything I can do to repay you…"

"Yeah, thanks so much! Desians are such a pain!" Chocolat added, smiling at Lloyd.

"…actually, perhaps you can help us." Raine tore her eyes from Lloyd to Cacao, "We need a Palma Potion, it's rather urgent, but we can't find any at an affordable price. Do you know of anywhere that we might be able to find some?"

"Oh…I am afraid that is easier said than done in this town, it's very popular, you see, and the prices stay competitive…" Cacao looked genuinely disappointed at not being able to help them.

"…Mom, _we_ have some potion upstairs! It's been sitting there for ages, you guys can have it!" Chocolat smiled widely, "It's the least we can do! I'll go up and grab it before work!" The girl bolted behind the counter and up the stairs to the apartment where the two women lived above.

Well, perhaps this encounter hadn't been for _nothing… _Lloyd thought, and it cheered him marginally.

A few minutes later, the girl came back down the stairs, holding a bottle of purple potion, "Here you go!" She carefully handed the potion over to Raine. "Some of the finest potion in the world! Well, I'm off to work, see you later Mom! Thanks again you guys!" And Chocolat was gone, dashing out into the street.

"…she is such a busybody…" murmured Cacao, "Well, it was certainly a pleasure meeting you, if there is anything else you need, don't hesitate to ask."

Minutes later, they were out on the street again. "…perhaps we should explore a little more before giving the potion to those people…" murmured Raine, "I'm sure it won't hurt them to wait a few more hours."

"Professor!" Colette was astounded by her teacher's neglect.

"Colette, we'll return soon enough, but for all the hell they've stirred over such a silly thing, I'm sure it's important enough that they can wait."

"I agree," Kratos nodded, a small, spiteful smirk twisting at his lips.

"Doesn't Palmacosta house the head of the Church of Martel?" Genis asked, "And the Palmacosta Academy, _and_ the Palmacosta government building? I vote we sight-see!"

"And tomorrow we can have a quiz on it." Raine nodded as Lloyd and Genis both groaned and Kratos rose a skeptical eyebrow. Noishe made a dog-like chuckle at their pain.

"Oh shut _up_ Noshy, you wouldn't be laughing if you had to take the test too! …scratch that, you totally would; you know _everything."_ Lloyd rolled his eyes at his dog. "Stupid, too-smart-for-his-own-good P-dog…"

"…Lloyd, you realize Noishe has no idea what you're saying, right? He's_ just_ a do-ouch!" Genis did not finish his sentence as the next moment; he was on the ground having been tripped by the "dog".

"Noshy is so silly!" Colette giggled, "Noishe isn't just a doggy, Noishe is Noishe!" Lloyd joined in with Colette's laughter and even Noishe put in a wheezy dog-laugh. Kratos merely sighed at their antics as Genis picked himself up and raced after the group.

…

"So this is the Palmacosta Government Building?" Colette's eyes were wide as she surveyed the large building that housed the head of the Palmacosta government. "It's _huge!"_

"Well, Palmacosta has the largest government body in the world, so it's only fitting that they also have the biggest building to work from. They say the building itself has been around since Spiritua's Regeneration; it's as old as the Governor-General's whole family line!" As Genis, Colette, and Raine drooled over the building, Lloyd took a few steps back, turned, and found himself face-to-face with Kratos.

"Uh…hi?" He blinked, knowing what was coming…

"…I think you have some explaining to do…" The man's voice was low enough that it didn't carry, but it sent chills down Lloyd's spine.

"…I don't know what you're talking about." Lloyd bluntly denied.

"You know _precisely_ what I am referring to, Lloyd. How do you, a boy raised in Iselia, know scum like Rodyle?"

"He knew who I was, but you're not bitching at him!" Lloyd regretted his words instantly, but stuck by them all the same. His face twisted into an angry scowl and his fists clenched at his sides. "I'm not allowed to know stuff? I'm so stupid that suddenly it's a _crime?"_

"I said no such thing, boy!" Kratos hissed through clenched teeth, neither male wanted to alert the rest of the group to their argument. "But certain knowledge in the wrong hands can be very dangerous, and Rodyle is not _common knowledge,_ nor something that a child raised in Iselia should be aware of. Where did you meet Rodyle?"

"Who says I've_ met_ him? He knew me 'cause he saw those stupid posters! He's a Desian, isn't he? It shouldn't be surprising!"

"What he knows does not concern me; it is _your_ knowledge that confounds me."

Lloyd's face was turning red with fury. "That's not any of your business!"

"If that is the only answer that you'll give, then I cannot allow you to remain with the Chosen's party. Rodyle is a Desian, and a dangerous one at that, and if you cannot tell me how you know him, rather personally if one judges from your previous conversation, then you are dangerous to the safety of the Chosen. It is my job to keep her safe and you threaten her safety."

Lloyd was too furious to properly read his father's expression and understand that Kratos was merely using this as a threat to get Lloyd to admit to something. The man very well knew that he did not have the authority in the group to remove the Chosen's best friend. But Lloyd, blind with fury did not realize the implications.

He had to think _fast._

"I…heard his name at the Iselia Ranch…?" he tried at last.

"Oh _really?"_ Kratos was not buying a word of it.

"…" Lloyd looked away, he was _dying_ and it was all because that bastard had gone and blown his cover! There _was_ no explanation! He was so screwed… "…look, I-I…it's complicated, but believe me when I say I'd never do _anything_ to jeopardize the Journey. I'd never hurt Colette, and we need to save the world. Whatever I know, I'm here for Colette and the others." He was tense, afraid that Kratos wouldn't buy it, or would keep pushing it.

_Origin, if you wanted to give me an early birthday present, helping Dad chill out would be _really_ nice of you…_

….

_Well…that's that. Hopefully the next chapter will be up faster…wait, did I just end on a cliff-hanger! Gods I'm evil!_

_R&R_

_~Yoshi_


	13. Chapter 13

_Happy belated Thanksgiving!_

_As it was with last chapter, school has been totally overworking me and I've had issues starting this stupid chapter. Luckily, I actually knew what I wanted to pull off here, so life doesn't suck too badly. The family is out of state for Thanksgiving; it's cold. Stupid Midwest. _

_Anyway, a fluffy chapter. Focusing mainly on poor, harassed Lloydie getting back in his friend's good books. I figure it's good for him to get a day off. Not sure how many chapters I plan to spend on Palmacosta, but it'll probably end up being more than I'd like._ -_-'_ Thanks for sticking by this story even when I'm so bad at updating, hopefully the fluff sorta makes it up to you, my beloved readers!_

….

The Palmacosta government. Lloyd felt a queer cross of admiration, frustration, and guilt at only the sight of the building; certainly it was impressive that any sort of offensive government could have been put in place during the rule of the Desians, but the corruption and stupidity was _astounding._ After seeing the Tethe'allan government, one would have thought that Dorr's level of corruption was almost pathetic, at least compared to the Pope, but to Lloyd is was horrible to watch Dorr interact with the townspeople, pat children on the head, talk to widows, all the while leading them blindly to their deaths. Finally, Lloyd's heart was heavy with guilt at what would happen to the largest city in Sylvarant: due to his own stupidity, thousands of people would die and the city would be destroyed by a twisted version of the Giant Kharlan Tree.

And, of course, the timeline wouldn't allow him to change a thing.

Lloyd "ooh"ed and "ahh"ed at the building with his friends and put up with Raine's lectures, throwing attention off of himself, but had any of his friends looked at the right time, they would have seen a haunted echo in his eyes. But for once, fate favored him and Lloyd's thoughts went unnoticed.

"It's said that the Dorr family, they're the line of Governor-Generals, have the Book of Spiritua. A book that tells about Spiritua's World Regeneration Journey…it would be _amazing_ to read it. A book written by a real angel!" Colette exclaimed.

"Wait…if it tells all about the Journey," Genis cut in, "I bet it tells where all the Seals are! If we knew that, then we'd be able to find them easier and save the world faster!"

Faster than even Lloyd could catch, a shadow flashed over Colette's normally bright features, but it was gone in an instant. Her smile was in place and she nodded and exclaimed loudly in delight to cover her momentary lapse.

In search of a book that Lloyd very well knew wasn't there, the group made their way into the building. Once inside, then found themselves on the floor of a council room, a long desk stretched around the perimeter with chairs stationed around the outside looking in. At the head of the room sat a blond man dressed in far-too-rich purple silk robes with a similarly dressed girl child on his lap: Dorr and his daughter, or, rather, the twisted half-elf experiment _pretending_ to be Kilia.

Lloyd jolted, realizing for the first time how difficult this Journey was going to be, because for the first time, he was faced with an enemy that he had to pretend wasn't there. He had a choice to make, he could easily have raced forward and eliminated the child, swayed Dorr to his side, and saved lives…but he didn't.

He stood there, feeling out of place, monstrous, and foolish. His eyes flickered to his father, his guilty conscience wanting him to ask for advice, but in those unforgiving eyes he found nothing. He wondered for a moment what his father was thinking as he watched the bastard before them playing with his daughter. He wondered if Kratos was thinking about moments that they had never had, or if he was simply seeing the corrupted scum of the earth playing with death.

"How can I help you?" Dorr's voice was smooth as he looked up at them, "Travelers, I see? We welcome all travelers, as per the Teachings of the Goddess." He put Kilia down and smiled what Lloyd could only see as a greasy and malicious smile, but must have been open and inviting to his friends, minus Kratos, perhaps. "Kilia, please go find Neil for me, we must give these people a proper welcome. Are you on a pilgrimage?"

"Something like that," Raine said, stepping forward, "we're from Iselia."

"Across the sea!" Dorr's eyes lit. "We get very few travelers from Iselia, such an isolated village, I trust all is well?"

Kratos snorted softly and Lloyd felt he had to agree; Dorr was simply making polite small-talk, he didn't give a damn what they were there for. He was just trying to promote his good image. As soon as Neil arrived, they'd be handed over to him and be out of Dorr's hair.

"As well as any village alongside a Human Ranch does, I suppose…" Raine said vaguely.

"But I was under the impression that Iselia had a peace treaty with the Desians…?" Though his tone was polite, Lloyd read the scorn in his eyes. He didn't like the idea that anyone could have a _peace treaty_ with those monsters. What a hypocrite.

"It was broken shortly after the Chosen left on her Journey," Raine murmured, "And we've heard nothing from the Village since."

"Then we best pray for the Chosen's safe passage to Heaven…"

Lloyd's hands clenched and resisted the urge to say something he would regret.

"Actually," began Raine, "It is because of the Chosen's Journey that we've come."

"Oh…?" At that moment, Kilia entered with Neil beside her and Dorr's attention was suddenly focused elsewhere. "Ah, Neil, these are traveler's that have come all the way from Iselia. This is—but oh, pardon me, I don't believe we were properly introduced! I am the Governor-General, Dorr. This is my daughter Kilia and Neil, my assistant. And, you are…?"

"Raine Sage; this is my brother Genis, Lloyd Irving, Kratos Aurion, and Colette Brunel."

"A pleasure." Neil smiled, a genuinely pleased smile, "What brings you to Palmacosta, a pilgrimage?"

Raine's eyes flickered to Colette, then back to Dorr, "A Journey. Colette is the Chosen of Regeneration and we wish to see Spiritua's Book in order to find the location of the next Seal…"

At her words, the eyes of the two politicians and the child all hardened, not that anyone besides Lloyd was paying particularly close attention to Kilia.

"…well, this certainly _is _a surprise." Dorr's voice was icy, the friendliness gone in an instant. "Considering the _real_ Chosen was in here not but hours ago requesting the same such item."

"Guards!" Neil wasted no time, pulling Kilia away, then summoning the guards. They were well-trained, and in an instant they were surrounded, Lloyd swore softly under his breath. "Take these imposters to the prison!"

Kratos and Lloyd both drew their swords, as did half-a-dozen guards. They were no match for him and his father, Lloyd knew, but he also didn't want to hurt them, or worse, give himself away again. Even Raine had pulled out her staff, the three of them herding Colette and Genis to the middle of their guard.

"No! Please, no! Don't fight!" Colette wrung her hands and Lloyd, in a miraculous moment of insight, stepped back, sliding his left foot along the threadbare carpet that covered the floor of the chamber, and as Colette stumbled back, her foot caught his and she tumbled back into Kratos. The mercenary stayed standing, hardly caught off-guard by the featherweight that was Colette, but the Chosen fell back onto her bottom, her jerk causing her pink wings to splay and fill the room with pink light.

There was a gasp and Lloyd heard the fake Kilia cry, "Daddy, look! Angel's wings!" Neil's eyes were wide and without being told, the guards began to back away, stuttering in shock.

"T-this girl—! Those _wings;_ Sir, this girl must be the Chosen! …men, stand down!" Neil's eyes never left Colette's wings. The Chosen herself was blushing, embarrassed by the admiration written across the human's devout faces.

"…this girl _is_ the Chosen, yes Neil. But, that means that the people we gave Spiritua's Book to were imposters."

"…wait, you mean you _gave_ the book away!" Genis cut across Dorr's cold realization with his high, childish voice. "How stupid can you _get?"_

"Genis," snapped Raine softly, "that's enough." Then the half-elf turned back to the Governor-General, her blue eyes dark. "Though I too wonder at your logic. You didn't ask for any sort of _proof_ that the people you were giving a priceless artifact to were, in fact, _telling the truth?"_ Angry light glittered in the Professor's eyes, and Lloyd knew that she was having a moment of Ruin-mode mania. He was suddenly_ very_ glad he wasn't Dorr.

"W-well," spluttered the man, "we hardly assumed that there would be creatures so low as to _pretend_ to be the Chosen's group!" He tried and failed to look noble.

"It's okay, really!" cried Colette, sensing the dislike and distress that echoed around the room. "I'm sure we can work out the clues…do you think that maybe you could tell us a little of what the Book said?"

"Spiritua's Book was written in the Holy language, Chosen One, and neither the Governor-General nor myself can read it… Perhaps it would be worth your while to ask around at the Church or with the Academy, you may find some old records that could help you…" Neil was genuinely apologetic, and Lloyd felt bad for his skepticism, yet it was all he could do not to grimace at the three of them.

"…he's right, come on guys." Lloyd, a hand still resting on the handle of his left sword, turned back toward the door. "Standing around isn't gonna do us any good, we might as well go see what we can dig up. And we've got to get the potion back too."

Colette nodded vigorously, "Lloyd's right! Come one Genis." Taking the younger boy's hand, Colette turned and started toward the door behind Lloyd. "Bye-bye Mr. Governor-General Dorr! Bye Neil and Kilia!" With another bright smile over her shoulder, she actually overtook Lloyd and the three of them were the first out of the building. Noishe was waiting impatiently outside, and Lloyd had bent down to rub under the Protozoan's chin when Kratos and Raine wandered out behind them.

"…" Kratos looked as if he'd tasted spoiled milk. "I believe I have just discovered another reason to dislike politicians."

"I agree, Dorr is a fool."

"Neil seemed nice enough though." Lloyd said in defense of the man.

"He is naïve and just as concerned with his image as Dorr is," snapped Kratos.

"Well…I suppose we should go to the Church and see if they know anything about the book…" Colette actually seemed to brighten at the idea. Lloyd, on the other hand, did _not_ want to go chill in an ancient building and listen to people give praise to a dead woman. A quick glance at Kratos' face showed that he felt the same.

"Why don't you, Raine, and Genis go see what the church has to say and Kratos and I'll go give the potion to those people," he suggested, carefully not looked at Colette as he suggested it. He knew disappointment would be written in her eyes and it was easier to resist when he wasn't looking at her.

"…Lloyd, I think it would be good for you to come see the church with us," Raine said slowly and Lloyd was suddenly wondering if it was the principle of him not going to church with them or the concept of him running off with Kratos for a few hours. He chose to target the former:

"But Professor, you _know_ I'm not into all that churchy stuff, and besides, we need to get the potion back to those people, as annoying as they are, I don't think they're very patient either."

"Then Kratos can do it himself…" Raine stated.

"…no." There was something in his voice, some statement of finality that made Raine look up at him. "I'm going with Kratos." Genis and Colette were now looking between Raine and Lloyd as if they expected a fight. Kratos' face was unreadable as he studied Lloyd, and when Raine questioned what he wanted, he merely shrugged.

"Lloyd, I think it would be best if you came with_ us."_ So that _was_ it, Raine didn't want him spending too much time with Kratos. She thought he was a bad influence. Even if it was true, he still wasn't going to put up with it.

"No. No offence or anything, but the Church of Martel really isn't my thing. We'll meet you at the Palmacosta Academy in two hours, kay?" Without waiting for an answer, Lloyd started off toward the bridge that separated the plaza from the rest of the city and moment later he heard the sound of Kratos' feet following behind.

The older man caught up to Lloyd a moment later and as soon as they had crossed the bridge, both slowed. "…I think you've angered her."

"I know. She's gonna be pissed when we get back, especially when they don't find out anything…"

"Why do you say that?"

Lloyd's heart jumped to his throat when he realized what he'd let slip, but he covered quickly, "Well, Dorr doesn't seem like the kinda guy who lends out important family heirlooms."

"…I suppose you make a good point."

"But Raine and Colette'll still find a way to spend the whole two hours there and I figured I didn't want to sit through that."

"You do not support the Church?"

"Neither do you," Lloyd said in replacement of an answer.

"Why?"

"…there's just somethin' weird about it, ya' know? Like, I hear Colette talk about how she feels so happy and _warm_ when she's in services, or Genis talking about how connected he feels. And Raine always goes on about how it's_ historical,_ and has all the evidence based in fact and that should mean I believe it…but I don't. Cathedrals give me the creeps, and they're always cold and echo-y, and in Iselia I always felt out of place, so in Palmacosta I'm just gonna feel like a freak. And all this Mithos the Hero stuff…I don't know, I just think that maybe there's something we don't know. Something lost to history. That story's four thousand years old, maybe we're getting something wrong…" He trailed off as they rounded another corner and found themselves at the end of a busy street, not far from where the Fake Chosen's Group was waiting.

"…you seem to have thought this through. From the way your friends spoke of you, I did not think you so well-rounded."

"…they just think that 'cause I sleep in class…"

"That seems a rather logical reason to me." There was something like amusement in the elder man's voice as he said this and Lloyd looked up at him. Kratos' face was blank as usual, but good humor glittered in his eyes. Lloyd had the feeling that his snubbing of Raine was what had put his father in this good mood, he wasn't so sure that this was a good thing.

"…what about you? Why didn't you want to go?"

"I don't recall ever stating my opinion one way or another."

Another slip: Lloyd hadn't realized that Kratos had not called to attention his own theological beliefs. He resisted the urge to smack himself in favor of a quick lie. "Oh…I guess I just read the look on your face wrong. I though you grimaced a little bit when Colette mentioned going to the Church, I thought I was saving us both. Sorry if you wanted to go…"

Kratos chuckled dryly, "No, you read my…look correctly; I have never believed in the _Goddess_ Martel." Lloyd heard a certain amount of emphasis on the word goddess and knew his father was remembering the woman he'd traveled with thousands of years beforehand. "…there are ends that do not match up in their stories, and the Chosen's Journey…I wonder what good and powerful Goddess could request the ritualistic sacrifice of a child…" Kratos' lips twisted slightly with distaste, but Lloyd focused on one word.

"…what do you mean 'sacrifice'? Colette's becoming an angel, not sacrificing herself…" Yes, it was a question to which he already knew the bitter answer, but the Lloyd that Kratos knew was ignorant of such things.

"…perhaps I phrased that harshly," Kratos' lies were smooth and not a line of remorse remained on his face. "I should have said sacrifice of _time,_ there have been Chosen that have traveled for near a decade and in the end failed the Journey of Regeneration."

"Oh…yeah, I guess that makes sense." Lloyd nodded.

They turned onto another street and saw the inn that the Fake Chosen's Group was to be staying at when the potion was delivered. Lloyd half-hoped that they could give the potion to the inn keeper to send up, but if memory served, he would have no such luck. They entered and the inn keeper looked up; for the largest city in the world, the inn was practically empty. The Desians had made travel for the average person practically impossible and with the monsters now invading the sea and the Human Ranch to the north, there was very little income for the inn.

The Fake Chosen's Group was sitting around the common room speaking in voices that _should_ have been hushed, but weren't. It took Lloyd all of a few steps into the inn for him to be spotted by his own double.

"Well, well, if it isn't the brat who broke our potion. Have you got it, kid? Where are your little friends?"

Not bothering to verbally answer either of his questions, Lloyd held out his hand with the potion in it and sighed.

Kratos said nothing, watching the exchange silently with his hand resting on the hilt of his sword, as if he expected to be attacked.

"Well, it seems you're a good little boy after all," the fake Lloyd smirked at Lloyd and Kratos in turn, "Now scram."

Lloyd felt his temper snap. "Oh you're _welcome,_ bitch…" he growled, but only loud enough that Kratos could hear it next to him. No smile upturned the elder man's lips, but a glitter in his eyes told Lloyd that he approved.

The fake Lloyd returned with the potion to his group and sat down, handing the potion to the fake Colette. "Well, that ties up one loose end." He swung his legs up onto the fake Colette's lap and the fake Raine rolled her eyes.

"So, in a few days we'll go to Hakonesia and get our money's worth for this stupid book." Fake Raine smirked, "That old geezer'll pay through the nose to get it…"

"…you mean the book we got from that one guy…?" asked the fake Genis, his words slow and his eyes dazed.

The door of the inn slammed as Kratos and Lloyd left them to their plotting and started back down the street toward the plaza that housed the Palmacosta Academy.

"…they're our fakes…" Lloyd growled.

Kratos rose an eyebrow, "And why would you assume that?"

"Why_ wouldn't_ I? Didn't you hear them talking about "this stupid book"? And how the hell do you think they managed to pay for a potion like that in the first place? My bet says they got it from someone else who thought they were us and were trying to be nice."

"…which would, of course, mean that they have the Book."

"Bastards…" Lloyd growled. "They're just gonna try to make money off it!"

"…and what would you have us do?" It seemed like such an odd question coming from Kratos—he was asking _Lloyd_ what to do? Yet Lloyd knew what had to be done, and he knew Kratos well enough to see the test.

"What _can_ we do?" he asked, judging his next words by Kratos' reactions. "As much as I'd just love to burst in there and give them what's coming to them, it's really not an option, and it'd be more than a bit extreme to get the Palmacosta government in on it and have them send the army after them…"

"You don't think they _deserve _that?" Kratos now sounded almost amused. "You don't want to see them rot?"

"They don't deserve that, there's a difference between what people who really deserve a life-sentence and these guys. They're just a bunch of idiots conning people, but in the end, no one'll be _hurt_ by what they do."

Kratos snorted, but by his tone, Lloyd could tell that he'd passed. "…an interesting take."

…

Hours later, Lloyd found himself in a very strange, but very predictable place: studying in the Palmacosta Academy. He had seen it coming and resigned himself to the fact that he'd have to take the test for Genis' sake. Lloyd looked over the history notes in his hands and sighed: how inaccurate could this stuff _get?_ His eyes flickered over to this father who was sitting quietly reading a book. He couldn't see the title and found he wasn't interested enough to try. Colette was listening to the Professor's lecture to Genis on imaginary numbers.

Lloyd wouldn't get it, so he didn't even try. He looked at the clock, bored already of the studying, and found that they had another fifteen minutes before they were to meet Mighty Washington and one of the professors to take the test. Genis and Raine were the only ones, Lloyd figured, that were really interested in taking this test. Kratos was smart enough, but didn't really care, and Colette would much rather have been back at the Church. Lloyd, however, was actually going to _try_ on the test, if he could focus for that long. He'd lived through a lot more than he had last time, he'd _learned_ a lot more, and he was curious to see how he'd do.

He studied the notes awhile longer, or at least tried, but his eyes just ran over the pages, not taking anything in. He sighed, then felt Colette's foot bump against his. He looked up and caught her eye; she smiled back at him. "You nervous?" she asked.

"Not really. I mean, it's not like _I'm_ the one trying to get into this place. Too stuffy for me."

"I'm sure you'll do great!" She smiled widely at him.

…

_Short answer: In your OWN WORDS explain how the Common Language has developed and changed due to influences from Angelic, Dwarvish, and Elvish._

Lloyd smirked: this was worth a _lot_ of points, and for once he actually knew the answer! He was fluent in Dwarvish thanks to Dirk, and had been teaching himself Angelic and picking up a bit of Elvish here and there. He scribbled out an answer, his handwriting comparable to chicken scratch but legible. The test was supposed to take three hours, but Lloyd hadn't bothered to even glance at the math section, he knew it'd kill him anyway, so why waste time?

The science section had…well he'd answered all the questions he could think of answers for. He knew he'd kicked ass on the astronomy part, the mana segment could have been worse, but biology, physics, and chemistry he'd glazed over and, not having understood half the language, had skipped. He was on the reading, writing, and language section at the moment. Most of the essays he half-assed; the Professor would have been horrified at his three-sentence paragraphs, but hey, it worked.

He glanced over at the clock, his mind starting to go numb from all the learning. There was still another hour left, and Lloyd only had the history section left, he was, he realized as he glanced around, the farthest, but only because he had skipped so much. Raine was still bent over some essay, her nose practically brushing the paper. Genis looked much the same, his pencil scribbling along, his knuckles white from stress as he wrote as quickly as he could. Colette was frowning down at a mess of math problems as she erased something and tried again. Kratos was sitting back, rereading part of his essay, looking annoyed at something or another, his precise handwriting filling the pages.

Lloyd flipped to the next page and the history segment began. There was a mess of multiple-choice questions that he read over and answered quickly: so far, so good. He knew his history, he _had_ to, between the Journey and the Professor. Starting during the Kharlan War and working up to modern history, Lloyd circled multiple-choice and scribbled out short answers. He actually choked up with laughter when he reached the question reading, _How many companions is it written that Mithos the Hero traveled with?_ He glanced over at Kratos who had also started into the history section, then back down. Colette, who was sitting next to him, looked at him with questioning eyes but he waved her questions off and returned, answering the question with _three._

An hour later, all the tests had been either turned in or collected and the group and Mighty were waiting for the answers. Raine and Genis were talking in hushed voices, and Lloyd did his best not to listen in with his angelic hearing, but he realized all the same that Raine was trying to keep her brother relaxed. Colette was chattering to him, she was obviously anxious about Genis' score as well and talking to keep herself calm.

"The math part was so hard! I only got part-way done, and then I thought maybe I should skip so I went to the science part and I didn't know what they were talking about half the time, but the Reading bit was pretty easy, and the history was kinda hard too…"

"Colette, half the 'history' part was stuff you'd know from the Church, and you're really good at science, you _know_ this stuff. You did fine." Lloyd rolled his eyes, "You love biology!"

"W-well yeah…" A smile pulled at Colette's down-turned lips and she let out a little sigh, and with it went any sign of visible worry. "How do you think you did, Mr. Kratos?"

Kratos, who had been leaning against his desk, staring at the far wall, turned to Colette with a raised eyebrow. "…fine."

"What did you think of the history part?" Lloyd couldn't resist asking the question. He made sure to keep his tone light and conversational.

"…" Kratos merely shrugged and Lloyd got the feeling that he _did_ have an opinion, and unfavorable one at that, but the mercenary Kratos, the one that was _supposed_ to be escorting them, didn't give a damn about the history section.

Saving Kratos from further questions, the old professor hobbled his way back into the room, tests in hand. The group and Mighty sat again, waiting for the scores. Genis looked almost green with worry in his place in the first row next to Mighty.

"Well, I suppose I'll start with the Chosen's Group's scores, then read the scores of Mighty and Genis." The robed professor cleared his throat, "First, Colette Brunel with a score of 267, then Lloyd with 300 exactly, Kratos Aurion with 348, and Raine Sage with 400."

"Of course," Lloyd chuckled, "nothing but perfection from Professor Sage." Lloyd exchanged a smile with Colette.

The professor, obviously unused to being interrupted by his students, cleared his throat again and Lloyd and Colette shut up quickly. "Now, Mighty and Genis. Mr. Sage received a perfect 400, and Mighty 398."

…

Genis couldn't keep the wide smile off his face as the group walked away from the Academy. "I thought maybe I'd screwed up on the fourth essay, but I did it anyway."

"Yeah, Genis, you're the smartest kid on the face of Sylvarant." Lloyd rolled his eyes. "I vote you buy us lunch in celebration." Noishe let out a yip of agreement.

"I'm the one who kicked as-butt on the test, _you_ should buy _me_ lunch!"

"Yeah right, I'm _broke,_ I can't afford my own lunch."

Kratos and Raine both sighed and Raine said, "Actually, I'm impressed with all of you: especially Lloyd's score."

"Yeah…" Genis suddenly turned to Lloyd with a raised eyebrow, "How the heck'd you manage a 300?"

"I guessed?" Lloyd offered with a smirk, "I'm not_ that_ stupid, Genis."

"Yeah…I guess…"

…...

_Well, that's that. Until next time. I'll try to get the next chapter up faster, but no guarantees._

_R&R_

_~Yoshi_


	14. Chapter 14

_Konnichiwa!_

_Kay, one order of business to attend to before the chapter starts: I got a few comments on how Lloyd could have gotten a 300 on his test when he skipped half of it. If you look at the scale of this test, it's got to cover everything from science to math to reading and writing skills to history to everything. This is a very prestigious school after all, so I imagine that while you _could_ technically get to all those points in a four hundred question test, you also wouldn't be able to properly gauge their knowledge and strong points. So I figure that it was a take-the-average-score kind of thing. And not everything was worth the same amount of points. He could skip half the science multiple choice, but the essay was worth just as much. So while he skipped around a fourth of the total content of the test, the things he skipped were generally less-important. Lloyd was going to for a good score, so he knew how to strategically skip._

…_what a frickin' long author's note. I'll shut up and let you get to the actual chapter, but one note of warning, while this is actually a decently plotty chapter, it's also rather bipolar mood-wise due to the overall difficulties I had getting around my writer's block. I don't think it'll be too bad, but the moment I know many of you have been waiting for has finally come._

….

To summarize Lloyd's time in Palmacosta, Lloyd had been pushed around by the fake Chosen's group, run into Rodyle—who may-or-may-not _also_ be from the future—scored a three hundred on the Palmacosta test, helped the group find out about Spiritua's Book, and perhaps have gotten back on his dad's good side. He sighed and dropped onto his bed; the mattress groaned under his weight, but Lloyd flopped backwards, his messy hair grazing the wall behind him.

"Gods, my life sucks!" He didn't know who was on his side, who was from his time, who was dead, who was living, or even who he could trust! He wished he could kick something, but there were rooms on either side of his, Colette in one and some poor person in the other, and he doubted his sudden violence would go unnoticed.

After the test, the group had retreated to the Inn and Kratos had explained what they'd found out about Spiritua's Book. It was painfully delayed, but after hearing about the test, the two angels had agreed to withhold the information so Genis could focus. He was _such_ a good friend.

"Seriously," he growled to nothing in particular, _"why_ did I think this would be easy? Where did I get the idea that this would at _all_ fun! I knew it would be a pain, but I never figured it would get this bad…" He groaned and covered his eyes with his bare hands; his gloves were laid messily on the bedside table several feet away. "What the hell am I supposed to do…?"

No one answered, what did he expect? He was too tense to be unaware of everyone in the building; he was starting to learn his lesson in _that_ regard. It was times like this when he wished he had Raine—_his_ Raine, the one from the future—to talk to. She always had the answers, always had some logical idea or direction to send Lloyd in. That was why they made such a good team, she had the complex ideas and he had the insanity to figure out how to pull them off. He missed all of his friends, Zelos, Sheena, Regal, Presea…

Yet…he wasn't quite sure that any of them would understand quite what he was doing. Did the future them know what he was doing? Yeah, it had been Yuan and Raine who had worked out the technicalities of how to use time-travel with the Eternal Sword. It was also them who had told him_ not to change anything._ But when they'd said that…Yuan had understood; he'd seen too much in his four thousand years not to, but Raine…for once she hadn't dissected the concept. Life had been unraveling for them in the future; already they'd seen little changes, flickers of something that wasn't supposed to be happening. They'd moved as quickly as they could.

And so here he was, alone, confused and without direction. He'd assumed that having Yuan on his side would give him an edge, someone to ask about his moral dilemmas. He'd forgotten what an ass Yuan had been before the World had been saved.

"…I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think I want to go home…" Lloyd sighed and grabbed a pillow to plop over his eyes.

"I am afraid you have already eliminated that option, Lloyd." Raine's voice was soft, but Lloyd resisted the urge to jump. He had known she was close, but not _this _close. How had he missed the door opening…? "Iselia has banned you, and if the people weren't already shunning your father, they are now…"

"I know, I know…" Lloyd sighed and sat up, brushing his hair out of his eyes, the pillow falling to his lap where he fiddled with the fabric. "I get that it's not an option, but that doesn't mean it's not how I feel…" He realized that this was his first interaction with Raine that lacked any of his friends since they had left Iselia.

"…Genis and Colette both miss their homes as well; it's normal for you to feel homesick." She smiled slightly, her blue eyes friendly.

"Thanks, Raine…" Lloyd smiled slightly, her optimism was…cute.

"Of course, it's your first time away from home; I would be more surprised if you didn't feel a little homesick." The amusement in her eyes flickered, then when out, "But Lloyd…if there is something you want to tell me, please, don't hesitate." Her words were slow, as if she was deliberating the best to use.

"I—…" What could he say? There were so many answers to her question. So many problems that plagued his mind, but as much as he wanted to, he couldn't tell her anything. Not a word. "…it's nothing Raine, really…I'm just a little homesick, and it's only just really sunk in that I can't go back, ya' know?"

Raine's piercing blue eyes, a few shades grayer than Colette's bright blue, and glittering with more intelligence than her brother's, studied him for a long moment. She seemed to be debating whether or not this answer checked out. His own red-brown eyes fixed on her own, and for a moment, Lloyd wondered if she could read the lies and sense the guilt that burdened his heart. All the same, he didn't look away from her, and a moment later, her eyes softened.

"I understand that it is difficult, Lloyd, but I also know that it was _you_ who insisted you come on this Journey. You cannot get cold feet now."

Lloyd felt shame well in his stomach; it was shame for making Raine think he wanted to return to Iselia, the thing was, that wasn't the home he wished he could return to. The home he wanted was much, _much_ farther away and much harder to get to. "I-I wasn't going to…it's just a phase, you know? A little bit of depression, seeing Chocolate and her mom made me think of Dad…" he invented wildly and, again, Raine's eyes softened.

"…I miss Iselia as well, I miss the students, I miss our home and the simpler times; I understand, Lloyd." Perhaps, Lloyd thought, _understand_ was the wrong word. "However, you must know by now that it is your determination that is driving Colette and Genis. Do not give up, for their sake if not your own."

" 'course," Lloyd forced a smile onto his face. "Don't worry about me."

…

At the moment, Lloyd could think of about one person who he _might_ hate more than Kvar. His name? Koton. The group had managed to cross the entire Palmacosta continent in one full day of walking, they'd rested the night at the small in on Hakonesia Peak, and then gone to see the old man. How did they know Koton had the Book of Spiritua? Lloyd had made it up that he'd heard the fake Chosen's Group talking about it at some point. Although it broke his _no changing the past_ pact with himself, Lloyd had a feeling that this was going to be the least of his worries.

"This was given to me by the Chosen herself!" boasted Koton, his wide, greedy smile showing more than a few teeth missing. "I was surprised that she was willing to part with it, but the holiest of holies understands an old man's dreams…" The bastard stared off into space as if he was having a moment of complete understanding with Martel. Lloyd doubted the man had ever walked into a church in his life.

"It looks very old…" Colette stepped forward, her fingers moving to delicately stroke the cover of the ancient tome.

"Don't touch it!" croaked Koton, his wooden cane lashing out and rapping Colette's knuckles harshly. The girl tugged her hand back; rubbing at what Lloyd was sure would later turn black and blue. Kratos' hand twitched toward his blade, and Lloyd's fingers were longing for his own, but a sharp look from Raine made both men clench their hands and bite back the harsh words that would have poured from Lloyd's lips.

"Hey!" snapped Genis, somehow escaping Raine's warning glare and moving blindly on with his words, "You can't do that to Colette! She's the Chosen—"

"The Chosen's faithful follower!" Raine broke into Genis' brash statement and Kratos, just barely keeping his own fury off his face, nodded. "That is why she was so anxious to see the book, if it belonged to the Chosen it holds deep meaning for Colette."

"Well, the lovely ladies have fine taste!" chortled Koton, his muddy brown eyes twitching restlessly over Raine and Colette's figures and Lloyd wanted to _rip the bastard apart._ Colette was just a kid, and if that son of a bitch didn't move his eyes away from certain parts of Raine_ immediately,_ he would give that monster a reason to use a cane. Luckily for him, Koton moved his eyes back to the Book. "But I'm afraid that it'll cost you more than just looking beautiful to see my precious artifact."

"And what, pray tell, is your price?" Kratos asked in a careful monotone from beside Lloyd.

Koton shot a glare at Kratos and the mercenary returned it with triple the force. "I doubt you would be able to _comprehend_ the price."

"Try me." The threat was strong in Kratos' voice.

"Hmmm," Koton took his sweet time debating over what he would make the price, as if he'd never thought about it before, "well…there is a statue of Spiritua in the House of Salvation between the peak and Palmacosta. If you can get that and bring it here, I'll let you look at the book as long as you like."

…

"Raine, what _was_ that back there!" Genis cried, "Why the heck didn't we just tell him Colette's the Cho—" Genis broke off and looked around, as if expecting a Desian to be standing behind him, listening to their argument. "—the Chosen!" he finished with a hiss.

"Yeah!" Lloyd found himself snapping despite the fact that he already knew the answer. "We could have made that bastard eat his words like Neal and Dorr did!"

"If word got out that _this_ Colette was the Chosen it would lead the Desians strait to us. We are already in enough danger as it is, thus, it is best that we remain as subtle about the state of our affairs as we can." Raine snapped in response to their questions.

"I agree with Ms. Sage, that man is not to be trusted with such knowledge; if it suited him he would assist the Desians, as long as there were a prize for him in the end. What is more important, however, is how we intend to obtain the Spiritua statue."

"The Spiritua statue at the House of Salvation…" Colette blinked for a moment, then her eyes widened. "Professor, doesn't Spiritua's crown contain a _real_ diamond? We couldn't ask the priests for something so valuable!"

Raine sighed, "Colette, I don't think we have a choice. Remiel's clues are too cryptic and Spiritua's Book is said to contain the location of all of the seals. If we could find them, we would be able to complete the World Regeneration much faster…"

Lloyd looked away from Raine, as did Colette, though Lloyd did not see this. "So…what do we have to do then? Just…go up to the priests and ask? If they don't know who Colette is, I don't think they'll just hand over a priceless artifact to a bunch of people on a pilgrimage…"

"If we explain why we need it…and I'm sure we can trust the priests…" Colette suggested optimistically. "I'm sure we'll figure it out."

And "figure it out" they did. It was uncomfortable, explain to the priests what exactly they wanted. At first, Raine tried to ask without giving Colette away, but the head priest was, for obvious reasons against it. His younger counterpart seemed equally as against it, but if memory served, it was because this was the man that had dropped a priceless statue into a geyser. Yes, that was definitely him.

_Dear Origin…_ Lloyd thought as he leaded against the back wall, his eyes half-shut. _Who would trust this guy with a diamond? Seems like an accident waiting to happen to me…_ Then again, he was no one to be talking, considering he was most likely going to get himself and his friends into some very deep shit before this Journey was over. Although, looking back at his memories of the Journey, they had had a knack for such things without his interference. Instead of comforting himself, Lloyd had only succeeded in freaking himself out slightly.

"You must understand; the statue is a very important icon for the Church of Martel."

"…of course it is, but you see, we need this to see the Book of Spiritua…" Raine seemed hesitant with her line of thought and Lloyd almost jumped in. Almost. He held himself back, it was Raine's job to talk their way out of these situations…

"The Book of Spiritua…?"

"Colette is the Chosen of Mana, in order to complete her Journey she needs to see the content of the Book." Much to Lloyd's shock it was _Kratos_ who spoke. Gods, what was the world coming to!

"The _Chosen?"_ chokes out one of the priests, "You should have told us! Of course you may take the Spiritua statue! I am sure Spiritua herself could think of no nobler use for it!"

Lloyd let the breath he'd been holding out and saw that Raine did the same, they had both been worried about the priests' reactions to their claim. Obviously the story of the Fake Chosen had not reached them yet. It was stupid, Lloyd reflected, that he feel worried about this. He'd already lived through it for mana's sake! So why was he acting like it was his first time…? If Raine from the future was around, she'd know some long-winded technical explanation. This thought made Lloyd's lips twitch slightly in amusement.

Until, of course, the other priest cleared his throat awkwardly. He was the younger and darker of the two men, his hair and the beginnings of the beard that curled from his chin was dark chocolaty brown. His green eyes were bright and worried. Lloyd knew what was coming, this time purposely recalling the past situation, but his heart still dropped when he heard the next proclamation. "Actually…I am afraid that this statue is…a fake."

This brought cries of outrage from Genis and the elder priest and Raine and Kratos simply sighed in exasperation. Lloyd groaned, "Dear _gods,_ what next?" This seemed to be an appropriate response—as, in all honesty, Lloyd had known it would be—because Raine caught his eye with the same tired expression and Kratos made a near-silent grunt of approval.

"What do you _mean_ this is a fake statue!" howled the elder priest.

"W-well you see…" The poor man was horrified at what he had done. "When I was on my first pilgrimage, I brought the statue with me, it's very dangerous to leave it here unguarded you see, and we went to—" Here the man paused to gulp guiltily. "—Thoda Geyser… and I was so overcome by the sight of Martel's creating hand…that I dropped the statue into the geyser…"

There was a long moment of disbelieving silence, and then Lloyd broke it. He started laughing. "Dear _gods,_ you seriously _dropped the statue into the geyser!_ That is _brilliant._ What better way to lose a priceless diamond, not to mention a holy relic, than to drop it into boiling water?"

"…Lloyd knows what a relic is…?" Raine, as with everyone else in the room, seemed shocked by his outburst.

"Lloyd knows what a _geyser_ is?" Genis rolled his eyes. "Well…I guess it _is_ kinda funny…" Genis managed to join Lloyd in a few amused chuckles, but none of the others did.

"…if the real statue is at the geyser, than what is _that?"_ Kratos nodded toward the Spiritua statue that did, indeed, still sit in its place of honor on the altar at the far end of the small church.

"…a fake…made by the dwarf that lives outside of Iselia…" the man murmured miserably. "I did not know what else to do…"

"…if it was made by Dirk, that it certainly is a well-created duplicate, but knowing Koton, I doubt it will fool him. To the untrained eye it would work, but not for our purposes…"

"So I s'pose that means we'll have to go get it…" Lloyd sighed, "Well, if the geysers are anything like what this guy says, it's worth a little side-trip to go see 'em anyway."

"Just one problem, Lloyd," Genis piped up, "you said it yourself, a geyser is _boiling water._ How exactly do you expect us to get something down in the middle of a pool of _boiling water?"_

"Hey, _you're_ the mana master! Just cover it in ice long enough for me to jump down there and grab it. I'm sure it'll be fine!"

Both adults and Genis stared at Lloyd, but Colette smiled, first at Lloyd, then her attention swayed to the priests. "Don't worry about the statue, really, it's not a problem to go get it! Besides, I'm sure it'll be fun! Thank you so much for your time! Come on guys, let's go!" Colette grabbed Kratos' hand and pulled the mercenary out of the House of Salvation. Lloyd happily followed the Chosen, but was stopped at the door by Raine and Genis.

"Lloyd, a moment please." Lloyd froze, his hand on the metal handle that led to his escape to the outside. Neither of his old friends looked…happy. At all.

"Uh, sure, what's up?" Lloyd's knuckles were turning white as he gripped the handle harder. It was probably nothing, he reminded himself, most likely he was just going to get chewed out for laughing hysterically in a holy place or something…

"You've been acting…weird…" Genis didn't quite look at him, this did not comfort Lloyd at all. "Since we came on the Journey…no, since before that. Since…I don't know when, but you haven't been acting like yourself… Well, you kinda have, but not really, you know?"

"I concur. What is going on Lloyd? What aren't you telling us?" Raine's eyes were all scrutiny.

"I—…I don't know what you guys are talking about," Lloyd tried to look innocent…and from the looks on his friends' faces, it wasn't a very good act.

"You're a terrible liar, Lloyd." Raine's words stung, but Lloyd ignored the pain for the moment. "You cannot hide whatever is bothering you from your friends."

"…I'm not hiding anything." Lloyd's voice was darker than he wanted it. They could easily read the lie. "Maybe I'm just trying to be more mature for Colette's sake!"

"That's the thing Lloyd, you're _not._ I tried to convince myself that that was it for ages!" Genis looked almost distressed. "But sometimes you act like you're two, like back there, and other times…other times it's just you sitting there, staring at nothing like you're looking at the end of the world or something! You couldn't look more serious if you were watching someone die! What's _wrong?"_

He was losing. His whole act was dying faster than it had taken to make it. He had seconds to come up with something. _Moments,_ and he had nothing. His mind had gone blank, there was no corny speech to get him out of this one, and you couldn't swing a sword at an idea and hope it was sliced in two.

But he _couldn't_ tell them. It was one thing to tell Yuan or Zelos or even Kratos because, while the latter two wouldn't have liked the idea, they would have understood the sacrifices necessary to save the world. They had already made some. Hell, Presea and Regal would have at least _accepted_ what he was trying to say, but Raine and Genis and Colette were so…_ naïve_ and purely good that there was no way there would simply have let Lloyd do what he already knew he had to do. Genis had already helped in his first sacrifice—Marble—and it had torn him apart. If he had known that Lloyd could have _done_ something about it… Genis would never forgive him. And Raine, so calculating and knowledgeable that she could walk Colette to her own death would have done anything to stop it, had she not believed so brutally in the Church it its ways. She had accepted that it was the only way to save the world, but if she had the knowledge of the future, she would use it to save as many as she could. And that was unacceptable.

"I—" Lloyd's shaky, undetermined explanation was cut short when the door opened in on him. Colette stood framed in the doorway, the bright noon sun shining in around her and her blue eyes wide and tear-filled.

"Lloyd! Lloyd, it's Cocoa! The Desians have attacked Palmacosta and they're looking for _Cocoa!"_

…

There were no words as the group raced across the fields that surrounded Palmacosta. Lloyd and Kratos were jogging as fast as the rest of the group would allow. Genis and Colette had tired long ago, but that was what Noishe was there for; the Protozoan carried the Chosen and the half-elven child on his back and Raine dashed along at the back of the group as they made their way back to Palmacosta.

Lloyd's heart raced not just from the running, but it jerked painfully as he thought of Cocoa and Chocolat. It was one thing to know what was coming when Magnius was the only Desian in Palmacosta, but Rodyle's actions were unpredictable at best and homicidal at worst.

The wind blew the scent of smoke at them and Lloyd choked slightly. _No, please no, Goddess Martel _no! But as the group reached the top of a sloping hill, a horrible site met their eyes: Palmacosta burning. Except there was no Palmacosta. The city, once a great beacon of what was left of Sylvarant's spirit, was leveled. Not a single building stood; there was no sound but that of the wind. No screams, nothing.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Rodyle's voice echoed from behind. The bastard was _amused._ "No survivors. Not one!" he cackled cruelly. "Not even that friend of yours. _Chocolat,_ I believe her name was. She and her lovely mother were the first to go!"

"You-…you _bastard!_" Lloyd could feel himself shaking as he watched he short, purple-haired half-elf with horror-filled eyes. "How could you! That's _massacre! _You killed _thousands_ of people!" He was on his feet, both his swords out and raised to attack. Suddenly, he didn't care that his friends were _right there._ Suddenly he didn't give a _damn_ if they knew his secrets or not, he was blind with fury. All he cared was that this _son of a bitch_ died where he stood.

He moved to attack, his motions inhumanly, and foolishly, fast, but never got his chance, for out of the flames and smoke of Palmacosta came another shape. This one was bulky and fast and as Magnius grew out of the smoke, Lloyd saw the world in red. "The vermin are dead. Every last one, Rodyle."

"Heh, perhaps not _all_ are dead…" Rodyle was referring to them. Lloyd jerked forward again, but felt a hand on his shoulder. Raine's hand. She didn't want him to attack, she thought he would lose. She was wrong. "But soon they will be."

Lloyd roared; it, like his speed, was brutally inhuman. Kratos was beside him now, his stance somewhere between attack and defense. Colette and Genis had been pushed behind them and Raine had pulled her staff out as well.

Rodyle cackled as Magnius joined him, looking down over the carnage. "I'd say we've done well."

"But the job is not yet done." Rodyle's voice dropped to a whisper and without another word, without any sign of warning, he shoved a knife into Magnius' back.

….

_Yoshi is back ladies and gentlemen! Did you miss me? I'll try to update again before the New Year, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! Ciao!_

_R&R_

_~Yoshi_


	15. Chapter 15

_Happy New Year!_

_Well, I managed to keep my promise and update by the New Year! I'm warning you now, though, this is a very dark chapter. I'm not about to boost up the rating of the whole story 'cause of this one chapter, but this particular bit is more than a little dark. _

_All the same, I hope you enjoy._

….

To be perfectly honest, Lloyd didn't remember Magnius' first death particularly well. He had, in a way, blocked it from his mind. He couldn't remember his own thoughts, just blood and shouting. But somehow he knew that this time…this time his death was all wrong. The world seemed to ripple as Magnius fell, there was no sound, the wind stopped blowing, the smoke stopped smelling; reality ceased for a moment in shock.

Magnius feel face-first against the grass and dirt, his wild red hair comically bouncing—as if it wanted to defy his death—and his purple vest slowly being stained red with his blood. Or maybe it was quickly, the world was flying by Lloyd, yet he caught all of it. The only thing that remained normal was Rodyle's hysterical laughter.

He was…_amused?_ Even Lloyd, who _despised_ Magnius could have began to cry.

_Why…?_

He had asked it aloud. His eyes met Rodyle's murderous green ones—how was it that he had never realized the Desian Grand Cardinal had _green_ eyes?—and honestly waited for an answer. He hadn't even known that Magnius and Rodyle had known each other…though they must have. What if they had been friends? What if…? What if…?

Lloyd's thoughts were a mess of confusion and pain. Raine raced by him, her orange coat a blur, Colette was behind her. Why were they racing _toward_ Magnius? Kratos hissed something…maybe? And suddenly, Rodyle was right in front of him.

"There is no _why_ little Lloyd. There is only _why not?_ Kvar knows what he is doing… and you do too, don't you? You and he are the same." With those words, Rodyle was gone. He must have warped away as a moment later Kratos' sword sliced through the air Rodyle had occupied. The world came back to life in an explosion of sound that Lloyd honestly thought should have blown his senses.

"Oh Martel…" whispered Colette, "all those people…"

Raine was bent over Magnius, was she trying to heal him? Lloyd almost wanted to. Almost. Genis was with Colette again, his friends were hugging each other tightly and Lloyd even saw a few tears shed for the fallen Cardinal. Or perhaps it was shock. The rest of the group…they hadn't met Magnius, Lloyd realized. So Genis' tears were probably for the dead of Palmacosta. His eyes searched for his father and to his shock, he found the man standing next to him. When had he gotten there?

"…we must go down into the city," Kratos murmured. "If there are any survivors, we must help them."

"…there won't be. Magnius is a monster, and Rodyle wouldn't leave anyone alive. Not unless it benefited him." Then Lloyd's eyes traveled to Genis and Colette. They wouldn't be able to handle it, Lloyd realized. "…and Genis and Colette…"

"They will see it soon enough, what is the point of delaying the inevitable? We cannot leave them alone, not with Desians so close, and Ms. Sage is the healer, if there are survivors, it will only be with her help."

Kratos was simply assuming that Lloyd would come, much to Lloyd's own shock. For the first time he turned and met his father's eyes, and didn't like what he saw. Kratos' eyes were empty and cold, their merciless depths took everything in a distant, clinical disgust. "Everyone will go down."

…

Palmacosta was decimated. The city was devoid of life, Desian or otherwise, yet the streets were littered with the dead. The Chosen's group walked, Kratos and Lloyd in front, Raine behind, her arms around Colette and Genis. Moving them along, pushing them through it. She had fought; she had insisted that this was foolish. That this would hurt them. Kratos had known better; they would see worse. Raine had agreed, after much pushing.

What Kratos and Lloyd knew that the rest of the group did not yet know was that there was still a Desian Ranch standing several miles north. And it was their job to go after it. Lloyd tried to rationalize it as he knelt by the charred remains of some unknown skeleton; he wanted to believe that the reason he wanted to go after the Desians was because he wanted to protect the people on the rest of the continent. He was lying to himself—the only reason he was going after the Palmacosta Ranch was for revenge.

Lloyd reached out one red-gloved hand and brushed the ash from the eye socket of the skeleton. The ash was everywhere, polluting the air and filling the gathering pools of leaking water with disgusting mud. Lloyd could practically smell the toxins in the air from the fires…and the lingering smell of burning flesh.

Why was the sun so bright? Why was the sky so blue? _The world had ended, the sun shouldn't still sit in the sky._

"…this is horrible…" whispered Colette. "…how could they _do_ this…?"

"…I believe the better question is why." Raine's voice was soft but it carried through the day. "Palmacosta is the largest city in the world and the only one on this continent. Hakonesia is too small and the only passage to the Asgard continent and other than that there is only the House of Salvation and Thoda, both of which can hold a combined total of about one hundred people. I doubt one hundred people can keep a Ranch the size of the Palmacosta Ranch running.

"…they had a militia, and a school. This was about crushing hope, not any other logic." Genis was sad, but thinking.

"It was about revenge." Kratos was dangerously matter-of-fact. "The question is, on whom. Breaking spirits generally implies that there is someone left with a spirit to be broken. They left no one. Asgard is only bold because they are miles from the nearest Ranch, a mutilated Palmacosta doesn't change a location problem."

"…what are you saying?" Raine rose an eyebrow.

"I am saying that this was a message for us."

Lloyd's heart thumped in his ears, his breathing stopped and his mouth dried. "W-what are you saying...?" he choked.

"This was a message for the Chosen, a message to give up on this Journey or only more death and destruction will follow."

Lloyd could breathe again, which was a strange feeling as he realized that his eyes had not left the skull of the victim before him. Kratos didn't suspect that this was his fault, or if he did…he had written it off as ridiculous. After all, why would an organization as huge as the Desians be bent on breaking the mind of a boy raised by a dwarf miles from anywhere?

"We need to move. We spread Colette's name around too far on this continent." Kratos was staring at the sky as he said this.

"What about Thoda and the Book?" Colette asked, tears streaming down her face. "W-we still have to do so much…" Somewhere in the back of Lloyd's disturbed and horrified mind, he realized that Colette could still cry.

"Not with the Desians searching. And by this time every Desian will know your face. We must _move._ We can come back after the chaos has died down." Kratos was adamant.

"…i-if we can get rid of the Ranch," Lloyd muttered, "then it wouldn't matter…"

"Lloyd, both Iselia and Palmacosta were _destroyed_ because they had that attitude! We cannot risk this Journey—Colette's_ life—_on something as dangerous and pointless as a suicidal revenge mission!" Raine glared first at Lloyd, then fixed her fury on Kratos as the man actually began to nod. "You can't be serious!"

"…if they are not stopped, the will destroy the rest of the innocents on the continent. Whatever their motives are, they are obviously no longer concerned with simply torturing the prisoners. They want something more."

"And you think destroying to Ranch is our best option?"

As Kratos and Raine's argument gained volume, it lost Lloyd's comprehension. Their voices were simply there to block reality as comprehension dawned on Lloyd. _Kvar._ All along, Lloyd had worried that perhaps it was _Mithos_ giving the orders, that there was a power running around that he didn't know about—and not knowing what he was up against was much more terrifying than anything Kvar could throw at him. Or a scarier thought, that Kvar was manipulating Mithos. If that was the case, there would be greater threats and more to work through. It would also mean that Yuan and Kratos could be in danger…or potentially working for Kvar.

But Mithos wouldn't have allowed Rodyle to kill Magnius. And Rodyle had talked about Kvar. Kvar was giving orders, probably tempting Rodyle and Magnius with offers of power. Rodyle had access to the mana cannon, if they could destroy the Tower, they could uproot Mithos and Cruxis long enough to pull off whatever it was that Kvar was planning.

Because Lloyd honestly had no idea what the red-eyed half-elf was planning.

"…Lloyd?"

Lloyd turned his head and found himself nose-to-nose with Colette. Her blue eyes were wide and scared and red from crying. "Yeah, Colette?" Lloyd tried to keep the anger and concern out of his voice, tried to wipe the worry from his face.

"What do you think? Do you really think we should attack the Ranch?" Colette wasn't fidgeting, like any normal person would have done; many long hours of sitting silent and unmoving in Church had sapped her of those normal actions. Not even her voice truly portrayed her emotions; one just had to know Colette to be able to tell her thoughts. Lloyd, who had known her for the majority of his life, could tell by the way she held herself, the way her head hung and her eyes darted, how afraid she was.

"…honestly, yes. If we don't get rid of them, no one will. Palmacosta was the biggest city in the _world._ They were the only ones with any chance of fighting them. Iselia was too small, too worried about you. And Luin doesn't have the resources, they're out in the middle of nowhere, the closest city is Hima and it's too small to help any. The people will be angry, yeah, but too afraid to make any moves on the Ranch. If we don't do it, no one will." As Lloyd ended his speech, he realized that his friends had fallen silent. Raine and Kratos were both watching him with badly concealed curiosity and Genis was nodding through his tears.

"…so that's really how you feel then Lloyd?" Raine asked, her voice taking on just a tinge of ice. She could see that the rest of the group was swaying toward Kratos' argument. "Despite everything you—"

"You heard what I said. My bit is done, my opinion's out there. Now it's up to you. I'm gonna go for a walk." Lloyd walked jerkily from the room, his heart pounding. He was used to being put on the spot, yes, but not quite like that. And Raine was going to be so angry. But he also knew that it was the only way. She would come around to it. She had to…

Lloyd's feet carried him through the carnage. He almost wanted to find the Item Shop Marble, but wasn't sure he could bring himself to looking into the open, staring eyes of Chocolat and Cocoa. He turned and picked his way across a bridge and out onto the main plaza. The school had been burned to the ground. The ashes were still thick in the air and small fires still flickered in the rubble. The Church stood untouched, but the steps were covered with the slaughtered. Blood coated the steps and as Lloyd moved up the steps he entered to find a truly grotesque sight.

A service had been in session during the attack, and the humans in the church were still in their seats, heads lolling and blood dripping from wounds. Those who had risen to escape had been put back in their place. A service of the dead. The priest had been killed against the altar; his head resting on the altar, his body resting across the foot of the table. He had been beheaded.

Lloyd stood and stared for full minutes, then turned and fled, his feet moving at a full-fledged sprint out into the square. He couldn't breathe again, the poison of fire and death catching in his throat. He tripped on a loose stone and fell to his knees. His hands caught his fall, but his head still hung, he felt as if the breath had been knocked from his lungs and he heaved, the breakfast he'd had hours ago splitting his lips a second time.

He groaned softly and coughed, the acid from his stomach burning his throat. He felt numb, yet everything was so sharp it hurt. For the first time, he understood how Kratos could have been willing to give up his soul after the Kharlan War. If this had been the norm…

Lloyd forced himself to his feet, staggering slightly, and walked almost blindly toward the government building. Unlike either the school that was demolished, or the church, still standing, the government building was collapsing in places, but the structure still held.

The door was hanging ajar and Lloyd needed only to shove it aside and step inside. There were only two bodies inside; the emerald haired Neil and blond Dorr both lay spread-eagle on the floor. Lloyd held his breath for a moment, and in that second he heard shallow breathing. He jerked his head toward the bloody figure of Dorr, and realized with a jolt that the man was _still alive._ Without thought, he was at Dorr's side, turning the man over onto his back.

"Dorr? Dorr!" Lloyd pried one of his eyes open and the pupil dilated, in the half-light. He _was_ alive.

At first there was no response, then the man coughed and blood bubbled past his lips. "…y-you…?"

"Lloyd." Lloyd didn't understand why he felt the need to remind the man of his name, but he did all the same. "I travel with the Chosen."

"…of…course…" Dorr's blue eyes swiveled back into his head and for a terrifying moment he feared he'd lost the Governor-General, but a moment later he gasped out another breath. "…Lloyd…Palmacosta…my…fault…"

"…I know. You don't have to say it…" Dorr didn't question his knowledge, and Lloyd honestly wondered if he'd heard him.

"My—my…wife…Clara…"

"I…I don't know where she is…"

"…downstairs…_take me."_ Lloyd hated Dorr, but he also couldn't refuse the dying man his request. He hoisted Dorr into his arms, wrapping one of the man's arms around his shoulders and using his own arms to hold the Governor-General around the waist.

Their movements were slow and shaky, and more than once Dorr cried out in pain as the enormous slice in his stomach was stretched to its limit. Lloyd almost asked if Dorr wanted him to stop, but when he glanced at the old man he found dark determination defining his features. Dorr would make it to his wife if it was the last thing he ever did. Which it would be; the wound was hours old, Raine wouldn't be able to heal him. Not now.

Lloyd forced the door open and the pair stumbled down the stairs and into the dark, dank basement of the building. The Desians had always known where Clara was being held, and had spared no life. Clara, too, was dead, but in her death she had converted back to her human form. Her blond hair was long and matted with her own blood and her green eyes were wide and staring, but she was human. Dorr let out a pained cry more tormented than any he had made during their decent and pushed himself away from Lloyd to collapse by his wife.

Tears leaked from the man's eyes and he reached one filthy, shaking hand to run his fingers through his beloved wife's hair. "Clara…oh my Clara…" His words were strong but soft. He wouldn't last much longer, Lloyd realized. He wanted to die here, with his arms around his wife. Lloyd felt as if he was intruding upon a very private moment, yet his feet were rooted to the spot and his eyes locked on the couple. "…I am…so…so sorry…" Wet tears made streaks across the man's soiled face. "…my…love… My…Clara…"

He slumped, gasping for a moment, then the shallow breathing stopped. Dorr's already glazed eyes stared blankly into nothingness, but his lips were upturned in what could almost have been gladness. His heartbeat stopped. Dorr was dead.

Lloyd could only stare for a long time. He wanted to leave, wanted to get away from this horrible bloodbath and forget everything he had seen, but he was rooted to the spot.

_It was a better death than his last…_ Lloyd thought bitterly. _Better than being struck down feeling all that hate. This way, at least, he died knowing he was going somewhere better. He died knowing he was going to be with Clara…_

"He shouldn't have died at all!" Only after the worlds had left his lips did Lloyd realize that he'd said that aloud. "Clara should have lived like last time! Neil should have lived! Chocolat and Cocoa should have lived! Everyone should have lived…like they had _last time!_ It's not fair! It's not fair to any of these people, they shouldn't have had to die! And it's all _my fault!"_ He was shouting, but there was no one to hear his anger. His anger gathered mana, and behind him one of the stone steps shattered blasting rock across the room. "Dammit!"

Turning, Lloyd stormed up the stairs, but as fast as the anger had come, it left him again, feeling empty and more alone than ever he reemerged into the fading sunlight. Like a bad joke, the sky was lit with red and pink as the sun slipped into the ocean. The majority of the fires had gone out and the wind had blown away much of the scent and smoke. For the first time, Lloyd looked out to sea, and realized why no one had survived. Those who hadn't been killed by blade or fire had jumped into the ocean and met the monsters. Half-eaten corpses floated face-down in the salty water. Lloyd couldn't tell if the water was stained red from the sun or the blood. He honestly didn't want to know.

….

_And on that note, Happy New Year!_

_R&R_

_~Yoshi_


	16. Chapter 16

_*Sigh* okay, reality really won on this one. To think it's only been a month since my last update. A lot has happened in that month, so that's my excuse; this month has been packed with blood, sweat, and tears. School started up, I had a few personal issues, and I've had to completely rewrite my summer, but what can you do?_

_My initial intent on this chapter was to break it into two parts, the breaking-and-entering part of the Ranch, and then the actual big final battle. I got about half-way done with the chapter and realized that the only way I was going to get this thing to any sort of length was to just out and stick the whole thing into one. Palmacosta was always one of my least favorite Ranches, actually, that's got to be my least favorite part of the game as a whole, so inspiration (beyond the blowing of things up) was scarce. All the same, try to sit with me through this and, fingers crossed, we'll all come out alive._

….

Lloyd crouched in the bushes outside the Palmacosta Ranch; Raine and Genis were behind, waiting for a signal to move. It had been but days since the attack on Palmacosta, but Lloyd, Colette, and Kratos had done their job thoroughly enough that the Sage siblings had no choice but to go along with the attack plan. Yet Lloyd was not comfortable; he knew that none of the others were either. There were far too many questions left unanswered.

Like, for example, _who_ was running this Ranch. Lloyd had a sinking feeling that it might be Kvar, or perhaps Rodyle that had taken control of the Palmacosta Ranch, but they also had their own Ranches to take care of, and, if Lloyd's theory was correct, probably accusations from Cruxis to dodge as well. And as Lloyd was learning, that was a task easier said than done.

He had stepped as lightly as possible, yet questions came from every direction. Colette and Genis were both convinced Lloyd was sick or something ridiculous like that, and always had the most concerned expressions plastered to their faces when they watched him. Raine and Kratos weren't so innocent. Kratos watched him like a hawk when they weren't drawing up battle plans in the dust or practicing combat skills, and Raine seemed to be growing more and more suspicious of him. Whenever he thought he had a moment alone, he was ambushed by his friends, each with a different question for him.

Kratos' were always the same, _how did he know Kvar? Why was Rodyle so familiar with him?_ Raine's were more subtle always dropping hints and setting traps that Lloyd did his best not to stumble into. One night, while they were eating, Lloyd finally snapped when Raine set another trap.

"_That's it!" He'd glared around the table at his friends. "You all think I did something or I'm doing something or some shit like that! I'm—…" His voice dropped and so too did his eyes, "…and you have every right to, but right now isn't the time not to trust each other. If we're going to take down this Ranch, we _can't_ not trust each other or we're all dead."_

"_Then why not answer our questions honestly, Lloyd?" Lloyd didn't have to look up to know that Raine was glaring at him. "How can we trust you when we know you're hiding secrets?"_

"…" _Lloyd forced himself to look up and meet her eyes, face the mistrust in them. "…you've known me since I was twelve years old, you were my _teacher,_ have you ever known me to do anything untrustworthy? Pranks maybe, but nothing like this."_

"_That…" Raine's eyes darkened, "is not entirely accurate. Iselia was destroyed by the Desians the day after you approached the Ranch. If what Genis says is true and that that was the only day you accompanied him, why was it that it was then that they chose to attack? That strikes me as suspicious."_

_Lloyd felt shock and pain course through him, but, while her argument was painfully inaccurate, he almost saw her point. Almost. "My exsphere," he said simply, "It was my fault we stumbled that day, my fault that Genis attacked a Desian that was trying to hurt Marble. I tried to cover for Genis while he ran away, but the Desians saw my exsphere, and apparently it's "special," whatever that means, and that's why the Desians attacked Iselia."_

"_And Kvar and Rodyle?" Kratos snapped. "I have yet to hear a suitable response to how you are familiar with _them."

"_Dammit, I don't know! I don't know how they know me, I don't get what's going on with them and it's freaking me out just as much as it's freaking you out!" Perhaps "freaking out" wasn't the best way to describe Kratos, but Lloyd's point was gotten across. "I know Rodyle and Kvar 'cause Kvar freaking killed my mom and—" How was he going to explain this? "…and once Rodyle came to Dad for a special key crest." He hung his head again, his hands clenching into fists like this was some huge secret instead of a moment of brilliance. The declaration was met with shocked silence until finally, Raine spoke._

"_I…thought that Dirk didn't do those kinds of jobs…"_

"_He doesn't…not normally, but he hadn't had a job in months and money was getting low. This Desian with purple hair came to the door and offered us a job. I was really little at the time, but from what I got he was sneaking around behind somebody's back and couldn't have this job done back at the Ranch anyway. It worked out best for everybody secretly like that… Dad made me promise not to ever tell anyone. Rodyle never came back, no Desians ever did and we thought the whole thing was buried."_

"_It has been that long, how did Rodyle recognize you?" _

"_I'm a kid that only wears red dwarf-clothes and has spiky hair and fights with two swords. I'm not exactly inconspicuous!"_

"…_did you just say "inconspicuous"?" Genis stared at Lloyd in shock._

"_Shut up, Genis!"_

While they had hardly been his best, his fabrications had set the minds of his friends to rest for the time being. But lying was going to get he and his friends in and out of the Ranch alive. He snuck a few steps closer to the Ranch, staying low to the ground so as not to be seen by patrols.

"What do you think Her Ladyship was thinking sending out all these extra patrols?" A female Desian asked her companion as they walked toward Lloyd's hiding place. Lloyd pressed himself against the ground, checking his swords so they didn't stick up through the bushes.

"Hell if I know. Palmacosta's destroyed, and s'not like the damn House of Salvation's gonna construct an uprising."

_She?_ Lloyd pondered this, the only _she_ he could think of was Pronyma, and of all the Grand Cardinals, she was the least likely to be corrupted by Kvar. Of course, there was always an option of a new player, but Lloyd shuddered to think what _else_ he would have to deal with.

As the two Desians moved closer, Lloyd waited and, when they were a few steps in front of him, he slipped out of the bushes and slipped one sword through the lower spine of the man. The Desian gasped and collapsed, the severing of his spine destroying use of his legs. He let out a startled cry and Lloyd swooped in to silence him. He refused to think about what he was doing as he moved. The man would have died after they'd blown up the Ranch anyway, this made his death far less painful, and swifter. He finished off the made just in time to swing his other sword 'round and intercept a blow the short sword of the woman that would have sliced through his shoulder.

He moved, again without thought, and disarmed her, then slammed the hilt of his sword against her head. He held his breath, ready to kill her like he had the man…but he couldn't bring himself to. His shoulders slumped and he stooped and picked her up. His actions would put them behind, but he couldn't just leave her there to be killed by the blast. The area around the Ranch was not nearly as full of hills as the Iselia Ranch, but there was a dip in the land where she would be safe. He spent a minute moving her, then slipped around to rejoin Raine and Genis who had been hidden a ways away and were yet ignorant of what he'd done.

"Come on, let's go." He tried to inject any emotion into his voice, but it still came out monotone. Genis, already afraid of what was to come, did not appear to notice, but Raine shot him a long look. As they passed the body of the fallen man, both half-elves stared in shock. That Lloyd would be killing had apparently not yet crossed either of their minds. They still saw him as a child; Lloyd's heart sunk when he realized he was about to destroy that image.

They keypad was set by the door and it took Raine only a few minutes of tinkering to break the code. The code that they _should_ have gotten from Dorr as his last act of redemption, his gift to them as they moved to save Chocolat. There was so much wrong with this, so much wrong that it _hurt,_ and Lloyd felt his hand tighten around his blade.

They slipped through the door, Lloyd and the two half-elves, and walked into the Palmacosta Ranch.

Going was slow and the pile of bodies, some still breathing and others not, grew behind them. Planning had been limited by their lack of knowledge, resources, and that Raine, Genis, and Colette were all liabilities. Lloyd was as well, at least from Kratos' vantage point. It had been Lloyd's idea to split up, although he would have liked to have sent Raine with the angels, he knew that neither Kratos nor Raine would have allowed Genis and Lloyd to go alone. Raine would also not send Genis with Kratos because, while she and the elder man had found each other in their distrust of Lloyd, their dislike of each other far outweighed any companionship they might have developed.

So Kratos and Colette had been sent to sneak in the Northern entrance, a direction that Lloyd had last time been ignorant of. He and Kratos had discovered it on one of their two surveillances of the Ranch before the attack. Lloyd allowed himself a moment of distraction as he searched the mana for any sign of Kratos or Colette. There was nothing, but really, what did he expect? The Ranch was filled with half-elves and magi-technology, finding them would be impossible.

"L-Lloyd, are we almost there…?" Genis was holding up surprisingly well. Lloyd felt bad, but since restarting the Journey, he had thought of Genis as…such a _child,_ but he realized now just how strong the twelve-year-old really was. He could watch his friend slaughter his own kind and still stand strong.

"I hope so; don't think I can take much more of this…"

"Lloyd, you are doing admirably." The praise was hollow, but Lloyd was rather touched by Raine's comment. She could see how much this was taking out of him. "We must be getting close—" The Professor was interrupted by a blaring siren, and all three jumped wildly. "Perhaps they found Colette…" Raine murmured.

"Or one of 'em woke up…" Lloyd's gloved hands clenched the hilts of his swords tighter, they were long out of their sheathes.

"W-what do you mean?" Genis' eyes were wide and reflected the blinding red lights.

"We have to keep moving!" Lloyd spoke over the blaring alarm. "And I _mean,_ I've been knocking most of them out!"

"Lloyd, that was foolish of you." Raine chastised him, her voice low but distinguishable under the siren. "You could have put this entire operation at risk."

"I know. But I'm not about to kill in cold blood either." Lloyd's words were curt, and he pushed his friends harder. His ears began to hurt from the sound and he found that his hearing was, for once, a great hindrance. He could only hear the echoes of the siren and none of the presumed clanking armor and clashing blades that would most likely be coming toward them.

"Raine…" Lloyd was only a few steps in front of the Sages and could hear their conversation if he focused. "…when we get out of here, don't yell at Lloyd."

"…what are you talking about, Genis?" Though he didn't turn, Lloyd could picture the look that Raine was giving her younger sibling. Her eyes would narrow, not dangerously—not yet—and her lips would tighten.

"Don't yell at Lloyd for not killing all those people. T-they're _us_ Raine…"

"Genis…they are _not_ us. What you did back in Iselia proves that much. Don't think about it like that, we are _different."_ Their footsteps halted for a moment and Lloyd snuck a glance over his shoulder to find that Raine was hugging her brother. "And I wasn't going to yell at him." When she said this, she caught Lloyd's eye. Her icy blue gaze spoke legions. She approved of his not killing all of them, she had also known for some time. She would not have yelled at him. But this exchange between Raine and her brother had turned from a moment of comfort for Genis into a threat for Lloyd. Genis trusted Lloyd, and if Lloyd broke that trust, Raine wouldn't be so forgiving.

…

What seemed like hours, though it could only have been minutes, later, Lloyd and his friends were still, strangely, alone. Lloyd feared the worst, that Kratos and Colette had been the ones to set off the alarms. If the whole Ranch was up in arms, not even Kratos could save them.

No more had Lloyd completed the thought than Kratos and Colette rounded the corner. "Lloyd! Genis, Raine, what are all of you doing here?" Colette's blue eyes were wide and she ran toward them, throwing her arms around Lloyd's middle and hugging him tightly.

"Colette, Kratos, what are _you_ doing here? We assumed that you had set off the alarms." Raine looked between the two.

"And I had assumed the opposite."

"But if it wasn't any of us…who was it?" While Lloyd was glad that his friends were alright, he was perhaps more concerned about this new development. If neither of them had done it, than who _had?_ "You don't think someone else was planning another attack on the same day…?"

"Impossible." Kratos stated simply. "Unless they planned their attack using the main entrance, we would have seen them come in. And, unless they are _extremely_ skilled, they would have been dead long ago. No, this is something else."

"A drill, perhaps?" Raine raised an eyebrow at Kratos' assessment.

"Unlikely, but more viable than another attack. All the same, we would have seen more Desians if that were the case."

"Argh! We're wasting time sitting here and thinking about it! It's doing us no good. We move on with the plan, get to the control room and figure out how to blow it up. If we turn back now, we're screwed as it is. We're already this far in."

"Lloyd's right! And think about all those people in Palmacosta that died…" Colette's blue eyes were wide and her hands clasped in front of her. "We _have _to keep moving!"

"We do not have a choice otherwise," Kratos growled and glowered at the children as if _they_ were the ones holding the party up. "Let us continue on."

Kratos took the lead and Lloyd dropped to the back to cover their tail. The alarms continued to wail and the lights flashed, but they found their way cleared. Lloyd knew, as too did the others, that while this was good for the moment, it was too suspicious for comfort.

Lloyd remembered Palmacosta's Ranch as being a maze of almost indistinguishable warp pads and a mess of complicated floors and doorways, stairs and passages, but Kratos led them swiftly through the passages. If anyone else were questioning his movements, they did not voice their concerns. Despite Kratos' expert maneuvers, it took them what must have been another hour to make their way through the Ranch.

They saw no one. Lloyd had assumed that the body count he had left behind him in the outskirts of the Ranch would persist. This was worse. And then the sirens ceased. The group froze; Lloyd, his ears still echoing with the alarm, could now distinctly hear each of their hearts pounding in their chests and the labored breathing of Raine, Genis, and Colette.

Kratos swore under his breath and then growled "Keep moving." They went through a warp pad and down a narrow hall. At the end was another pad. Kratos, again, broke the silence. "…if I am not mistaken, this should be the way to the main control room. Ready yourselves, even if all of the other men are behind us, this is sure to be guarded."

Kratos didn't sound nervous, he sounded determined, if not a little too calm.

They stepped onto the warp.

When Lloyd opened his eyes, he was met with a sight that he would not have pictured in his wildest dreams about what was to come. While he was prepared for Kvar, Rodyle, or even Pronyma, after the rumors he had heard outside, but not this, though he _should_ have seen it coming. He hadn't given her a single thought since seeing Palmacosta destroyed.

_She_ was sprawled out on Magnius' couch, her hideously thin body twisted at odd angles and between her what could only be called _claws_ sat a glass of Palmacosta's best potion.

"K-_Kilia?"_ Lloyd stared up at the misshapen half-elf who had been masquerading as Dorr's daughter.

"Oh how _cute!_ The little human thinks that's my _real_ name!" Kilia's voice was high and sharp, the kind of sound that made Lloyd's ears want to bleed. "I am Myrrh, former servant of Pronyma and that fool Magnius' replacement of head of this Ranch."

"…scary thought." Lloyd only managed a faint line of comeback. He had given no thought to the Desian's whereabouts after the destruction of Palmacosta, but now that she was _here,_ his mind was racing. She had no legacy, unlike Magnius or Kvar, but if she had worked for Pronyma, she was bad news. And she had been enough of a pain to fight in Dorr's basement. She was clever and scheming, unlike Magnius who had simply gained his place with brute force.

"I know why you're here, you know, little human." Her grin widened to reveal sharp teeth behind her dark purple lips. They, like the rest of her skin, had been scarred and twisted. Most half-elves could appear human, or at least elf. She was neither; her appearance was more akin to something Lloyd had seen in his brief stay in Neflheim. Her ears were more like horns, spinning off her bald head and hanging bizarrely around her face. "We were warned that you'd try something like this…"

"By whom?" Raine snapped from behind Lloyd. She didn't question him, but he knew that his time would come too soon for his preference.

"Lloydie here knows who, don't you?" Her cruel smile widened. "Oh yes, he knows very well by whom… But he's not telling! Oh, look at your face!" she cackled, "Poor Lloydie! Am I saying things I shouldn't?"

"Don't know what you're talking about…" Lloyd muttered, well-aware of the stares of his friends, and glare from his father and Raine.

"Whatever you say, sweetie!"

"Just get down here so we can kick your ass!" Lloyd knew that his friends wanted to join in their dialogue, but he wasn't about to risk Kilia—_Myrrh—_giving away more of his already badly-kept secrets.

"Oh no, Lloydie, I'm not foolish enough to play your games. I've spent the last year playing child to that _idiot_ Dorr. Besides, there's five of you and only _one_ of me, I don't like those odds, and I'm not stupid enough to try to take them on. You're going to play with my soldiers, since I pulled them out of your way, they've been ever so anxious to get their turn with you, you know. And you really _should_ be more careful about where you put the bodies. Ta-ta, I'm off to see Lord Kvar, play nicely."

Myrrh warped away, never moving from her spot on the couch, and the doors around them opened allowing dozens of soldiers to flood in.

"Lloyd, to the left, I'll take the right. Mr. Sage, offensive magic, Ms. Sage, heal. Chosen, keep yourself alive," Kratos barked the orders which were followed instantly.

Lloyd's metal blade, already covered in blood, slashed through the arm of one man, then the torso of another. He let his own angelic powers and the powers that his mother's exsphere gave him off in small bursts, hoping that none of his friends were paying enough attention to him at the moment that they would notice. He glanced over his shoulder to see a Desian break through the ranks that he and Kratos were trying to hold up and run toward Genis. The half-elven mage was too caught up in a spell to see the enemy coming, so too was Raine, and Colette was locked in battle with another female Desian. Kratos had his hands full on the other side. Lloyd raced to his friend's side, stabbing the man through the stomach before he could touch Genis.

Part of Lloyd was screaming at him to stop and try to find another way out of this, but Lloyd was on auto, the pain of Palmacosta and the long battle this far into the Ranch had left him hollow and Myrrh's appearance and near destruction of his cover had pushed him to the edge.

_I want this to stop…_ Instead of lashing out with his sword, he kicked the next Desian running at him as he tried to regain the distance between the Sages and Colette and the line of Desians. The Desian who had the unlucky chance of meeting the bottom of Lloyd's boot staggered back and fell against an oncoming group of his cohorts. The three of them tumbled backward only to be trampled underfoot as more came on.

"_Angel Feathers!"_ Colette cried and it was only the oncoming mana of her attack that gave Lloyd the chance to duck as hundreds of little pink feathers, sharp as knives, sliced through the Desians, creating bloody gashes on exposed faces and hands and even slicing through weaker armor. Lloyd would have to compliment her on that maneuver later, he thought to himself.

The Desian's number had been cut in half between Kratos, Colette, and himself, and a moment later, Genis let off a _Wind Blade_, the air felt as though it was being sucked from Lloyd's lungs as it gathered and sliced through more of the men. Lloyd's world began to fade from red as he regained control of himself. The sight before him was gruesome, his side perhaps more so than Kratos', but as long as he didn't look down…

The remaining Desians seemed now to be hesitating, looking at each other and wondering if facing a Grand Cardinal were as bad as facing down these human swordsmen. One man dropped his blade and began to back away from Lloyd, as soon as he broke rank; he turned and fled for the warp pad. His move encouraged others and many joined their comrade.

Those who didn't run met their fate at the end of Kratos' or Lloyd's blades.

"…w-what do we do now…?" Genis asked after the last Desian met his end.

"…we destroy it, that was the plan, after all, find the main control room and do our best to destroy the Ranch so it cannot be used again." Lloyd was glad that Raine said it and not him.

"Indeed." Kratos did not seem to be having any response to the bloody sight around them, but he_ was_ Kratos after all. He'd been doing this for a lot longer than Lloyd.

"H-how exactly do we_ do_ that?" Lloyd realized he was panting.

"The control panel seems to be over here. Give me a few moments, why don't you stand guard at the warp pads, Genis, give me a hand here."

Lloyd and Kratos each took up their positions and Colette stood in the middle of the room, looking anywhere but around their feet and clasping her hands nervously. Raine and Genis huddled together over the keyboards and examined screens until Raine finally looked up.

"Run."

….

_Ahh! My goodness, I'm so sorry that took so long to get up, you know what they say, when it rains, it pours. Anyway, I'll try to have the next chapter up before another month has passed._

_R&R_

_~Yoshi_


	17. Chapter 17

"_Washtubs…hmm…"_

_That has got to be the most well thought-out, descriptive, and character-developing line in all of Tales of Symphonia. _

_One important note, I took some liberties with the Temple of Water for simplicity's sake, minimizing the monsters and traps and making it more maze-like. Don't kill me! *cringes in fear*_

_Again, it took me awhile to get out, but here it is at last. I'm quite pleased with it overall, so enjoy!_

….

Thoda was the kind of little village that had a constant population of about one hundred people, and then there were the travelers. Thoda Island was the closest thing to a tourist trap that Sylvarant had to offer, and being near the largest city in all of the world only helped. Or, rather, it being _formerly_ near the largest city in the world.

Lloyd and the rest of the Regeneration Group had gone south after they had destroyed the Ranch and, like many of the other refugees from Palmacosta, found food and beds at Thoda's tiny inn. It had been over a week since the tragedy and most of those who had been outside the city had set off toward Asgard to try to restart their lives or get in contact with family and the inn had emptied out once again. The five of them, at one point forced to squeeze into two tiny rooms were able to get a third for Colette's private use and the Sages and Lloyd and Kratos each shared with their respective family members.

Lloyd had honestly been surprised when, even days after the destruction of the Ranch, no one had asked about the suspicious dialogue between Myrrh and Lloyd. Yet the others acted as if nothing strange had happened. Or perhaps it was because the idea that they had single-handedly taken down the Ranch was a strange enough concept, Lloyd's involvement with_ another_ Grand Cardinal was almost trivial by comparison.

To Lloyd, however, Kilia—Myrrh—was as disturbing a realization as they came. And she was still out there; while her Ranch had been destroyed, Lloyd didn't bother to optimistically hope that she had still been in the Ranch at the time of its destruction. She hadn't been.

However, there were more pressing matters at hand, such as the immediate pressing of the second seal. After they had been at Thoda for almost three days, and Raine had nearly healed all of their wounds, Kratos had announced that he had secured them "boats" to Thoda Island the next day. When this statement was met with confused and blank looks, Kratos growled, "If you recall, the Spiritua Statue was supposed to have been dropped there."

Oh. Lloyd could have smacked himself; he had been worried that he would have to invent some reason for them to go to the Island and "accidently" discover the seal. Here Kratos had done it for him. When Raine and Genis both looked dubious, Lloyd jumped to his feet, "Fun! I've always wanted to see the geysers!"

"I wasn't aware that you know what a geyser was until a week ago Lloyd."

"Shut up Genis!" Lloyd snapped back, playing along. The old banter, the comfort of friends, it was…nice.

Thus it was that Kratos awoke the group at ungodly hours the next morning. Perhaps the only one able to rise graciously was Raine for, while she looked green at the thought of having to sail again, the prize that awaited them on the island was, for the moment, worth the pain.

That was, until they reached the water.

"…washtubs? _Seriously?"_ Lloyd dropped his mouth open in shock with his friends as they discovered their new mode of transportation.

"Washtubs…hmm…" Lloyd could hear the distaste in Kratos' voice as he viewed the crafts.

"That has got to be the weirdest way to sail ever," Genis grumbled.

"I am _not_ getting in those things." Raine was adamant and looked ready to maim anyone who tried to force her to move.

"Oh, but Professor, it looks like it's going to be so fun!" The ever-optimistic Colette seemed the only one who wanted to climb into the risky "boats".

"Come on, Sis." Genis reached out and grabbed Raine hand at which she admitted a barely suppressed shriek.

"I am _not_ getting in that thing!" Raine repeated, this time louder and more hysterical. Around him, Kratos and Colette were already moving, climbing into one of the washtubs, apparently going to share. Raine and Genis continued to argue, but Lloyd ignored them, instead calling to Noishe.

"Come on Noishe, here boy. Let's get in the washtub!" Noishe looked dubiously down at the boat, apparently as against sailing in one as Raine. He whined to express his dislike. "I know it sucks, but get in anyway. You'll get yourself into trouble if you stay over here." Oh, and he had to keep Sheena out of the Temple, there was that too.

He pushed Noishe's backside, trying to force him into the boat, but the Protozoan refused to budge, whining loudly. Finally, Lloyd won, giving Noishe one last shove as he tumbled into the washtub, landing feet-first as the tub rocked dangerously from side-to-side, threatening to dump the large dog into the sea. Noishe's claws scratched as he shuffled around to glare up at Lloyd.

"_You're dead,"_ the glare said.

"Good boy, Noshy," Lloyd cooed teasingly down at him, "When we get to the island, we'll have some lunch, 'kay?" Noishe plastered his green ears against his head and growled up at Lloyd. The boy sighed and looked up to see how his friends were doing. Kratos and Colette were already safely in their boat and, by the look Kratos was wearing, more than ready to be off. Raine and Genis, on the other hand, were far from ready.

Raine was putting up a better fight than even Noishe had, and Genis was hardly an opponent for her. Lloyd watched with amusement for a moment, debating whether to interfere or not. Raine had pulled out her staff and had already attempted several smacks to various parts of Genis' body. The younger half-elf had dared to dodge her swings and was beginning to feel real terror, if Lloyd was any judge of his old friend's facial features.

Finally, Lloyd took pity on him. He slipped behind Raine and grabbed her staff from behind, pulling it out of her hands. He was _dead_ if this didn't work. "Trade you, Genis. You take Noishe and I'll make sure Raine gets across."

"_Excuse me?"_ hissed Raine, furious at being compared to Noishe. Genis shot him a thankful look and scurried away to take care of Noishe. Raine rounded on Lloyd, glaring daggers. "If you think for one moment—" Lloyd didn't let her finish her sentence; instead he picked her up, one arm behind her back, the other under her legs and carried her bridal-style toward the washtub. In one hand he still held her staff away from her grasping hands.

"Come on Professor, it won't be that long a ride." Lloyd grinned down at her and hopped into the washtub. It shook and bobbed in the water and Raine shrieked, but she was in. Here, he set her down and then stood back up to grab the paddle from the dock. When he looked back down, Raine slapped him. Hard.

"Lloyd Irving you are in _so _much trouble!"

Lloyd blinked back "Ow! Professor, what was that for?" He rubbed his cheek with the hand not carrying the paddle. "Ow…"

"It was for _dragging_ me into this!"

"What was I supposed to do?" He tried not to let his voice carry, but he could see that the others were all still focused on them. Kratos, however, had started to guide the washtub that he shared with Colette away from the dock and toward the open water. "Come on, let's just go…"

Raine looked mutinous, but Lloyd was already pushing them away, out into the water and away from the dock. Unless Raine wanted to swim back, perhaps the only option worse than making their way across in the makeshift boats, she was trapped. Lloyd sighed and began the long, slow way toward Thoda Island.

…

Thoda was a small island; all that was there was the geyser and the tourist attractions. Kratos led the way up to the viewing platform where a tour guide was leaned back against the rail, the rest of the island completely empty. No one was in the mood to go on a pilgrimage…or they were dead.

"Hello!" The girl's eyes sparkled when she saw them approaching. "Would you like a tour—?"

"We will show ourselves around, thank you." Kratos coolly blew her off. Her face fell and she muttered an apology, sliding back against the rail.

"So…" Genis looked around at the small viewing area, "We're looking for the Spiritua statue…which is supposed to be_ in _the geyser…"

"Yup."

"So, when we find it what are we going to do to get it? The geyser shoots _boiling_ water."

"You can just cast a spell to stop the water from coming up and I'll go down and get it." Lloyd shrugged, "No problem."

"Absolutely _not,"_ Kratos growled. "You will not be risking your life in this foolish scheme."

"Oh, then you _fly_ over and get it." Lloyd rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. Then he remembered that he wasn't supposed to know Kratos had wings.

Kratos only sighed and Genis started to laugh. "Kratos, _I_ didn't know you had wings!" Genis chuckled scornfully. They were taking Lloyd's words as a sarcastic joke, even Kratos; Lloyd could breathe again.

"Unless anyone's got a better idea, I'll just jump down and get it; it'll take, like, thirty seconds."

As it was, Lloyd won out. With his friends watching anxiously, Genis cast Icicle over the geysers' openings below and Lloyd scaled the cliff down to the hot, steamy ice bottom. Through the steam, Lloyd could just make out the shape of the Spiritua statue.

_How'd it get over there? The Priest would have had to _throw_ the freaking thing…_ Lloyd thought to himself as he gracelessly raced across the ice, his feet slipping as he moved.

"Hurry!" he heard one of his friends shout and he tried to heed their warning, hoping that his luck didn't fail him and the geyser didn't melt the ice before he got back to safety. He grabbed a hold of the Spiritua statue and had the distinct feeling that it was _hot,_ but beyond simply not being able to feel it, Lloyd's mind was simply too busy to worry about the heat that wasn't hurting him.

There was a rumbling behind him and Lloyd leapt for the wall. With the help of Kratos grabbing at the back of his shirt, Lloyd was able to scramble back up the cliff side. Behind him, the geyser erupted. Lloyd almost laughed, after effects of all the adrenaline pulsing through him, but he was silenced by Kratos' angry glare.

"Well…that was exciting," he said lamely, the remains of his humor tugging the corners of his lips upward into a small smile.

"And you even got the statue!" Colette clapped and then reached out to take the statue from Lloyd so he could sit up, but as soon as she had it in her hands; she dropped it with a small yelp of pain. "Wow! It's so hot!" Then, in rather classic Colette fashion, she stumbled in her haste to pick it up again and fell backwards against the cliff side. Sand and small rocks rained down on the party and Kratos darted to pull Colette out of immediate danger. The falling stone revealed a small stand on which was an Oracle Stone.

"…as usual, Colette's clumsiness has managed to open new doors for us," Raine half-laughed, half-sighed. "If I am not mistaken, it seems that she's discovered another Seal. With luck, perhaps we will not need Koton and his book."

"This is so cool!" Genis looked positively ecstatic; it was, Lloyd figured, over the idea that they may not have to see Koton again. "Colette, put your hand on it and let's see what happens!"

Lloyd's eyes, along with both Raine's and Kratos, watched Colette with worry. Fear flashed through her blue eyes, but it was quickly replaced with determination and when she met the eyes of her friends, she beamed and nodded. "Of course! Let's go!" She reached out and rested her hand against the Oracle Stone.

Across the geyser's pit, on the far side of the wall of rock that surrounded it, several large rocks broke away from the wall and tumbled down to the sandy floor beneath. Stairs, made presumably of mana, though Lloyd was hardly an expert, appeared, leading to the mouth of the Seal of Water.

"…cave," Lloyd pointed when no one else seemed inclined to say anything.

Kratos, Genis, and Raine all sighed but Colette's big blue eyes were fixed on the entrance, "…come on guys, let's go." She led the way up the stairs, closely followed by Raine and Kratos. Genis and Lloyd came up at the rear and Genis looked up at Lloyd.

As Lloyd started up the stairs, he turned to look back down at Noishe, "You coming or standing guard out here?"

The "dog" gave him a reproachful look and sat down where he was.

"Suit yourself." Lloyd smiled down at his dog.

"So, the last seal was in the desert and it was fire, you think this one'll be water?" Genis pulled him from the conversation with his dog.

"What? Well, something tells me it's not _Volt's_ Temple," Lloyd rolled his eyes.

"…what are you _talking_ about Lloyd?" Genis looked blankly up at Lloyd. "What do you mean "Volt"?"

Kratos was listening, Lloyd was suddenly very sure of that, but this time, he had an easy cover. "Volt, you know, the Summon Spirit? Haven't you heard all the old stories about Spirits? And half the constellations are named after them."

"Oh _those, _you and your stupid superstitious stories, that's all just a bunch of old wives' tales."

"…oh, shut up Genis," Lloyd snapped back. He dearly wanted to tell Genis all the bad news about _his_ beliefs, but wisely held his tongue for once.

The Temple of Water was vast. Where the Temple of Fire had been enormous and breathtaking, the Temple of Water was its opposite in every way. They path they walked on was a walkway overlooking what amounted to the Temple's antechamber; the cavern's ceiling was still high over their heads, supported by a series of pillars. It felt cold and wet, and as Lloyd exhaled the cool mist around his mouth blew away, only to be replaced and swept away as he walked.

Moisture was everywhere and the stone steps were slippery with condensed water on hard, cold stone. As he pictured Colette slipping on these stairs, he glanced ahead to see that Kratos' mind had already wandered to that point and the man was practically holding Colette's hand as they descended.

The rest of the hall was more cave: dark, water-covered rocks and a sandy floor. Their footsteps made echoing crunching noises that echoed around the chamber, no doubt summoning every monster to them.

Their going was surprisingly fast, despite the fact that they were more often than not attacked by the bizarre air-breathing fish that littered the Temple. They passed through many more caves and chambers, some created with man's hands, but most were already stunning caves. It had been dark in the antechamber, but the chambers that followed were lit from something overhead so high up that Lloyd couldn't see it.

The group's feet walked along thing stone walkways, slippery with condensed water, pools of perfectly clear liquid washed up against the walkway, sometimes even washing over the stone. In the water swum brightly colored fish, red and purple and blue, all mixing and swimming serenely together. In many places, the walkway had been almost completely washed away and they had to jump small gaps in the stone. On one such jump, Colette was practically carried over by Kratos, but when it was Genis' turn to take the leap, he stumbled and nearly fell into the water, only to be grabbed by Lloyd. His boots dipped into the water and instantly a dozen fish were biting at it with razor-sharp teeth.

Lloyd pulled his friend from harm's way and got them both across the gap with a panted "Let's _not_ do that again." The others all agreed.

This temple was more a maze than a trap or trick and with Kratos deftly helping Colette lead the way, they were soon deep into the bowels of the Temple. There was a long moment of staring at the warp pad that sat before them. From his memories, Lloyd recalled that this was the pad that would take them to the altar where Colette would become more of an angel and lose another part of her humanity.

They stepped through.

The room that they entered into was much darker than the rest of the Temple, and it was only because of an eerie yellow-green glow from behind the waterfall some yards in front of them that he was even able to see the blurry outlines of his friends.

"_You have reached the second Seal,"_ whispered a voice from everywhere and nowhere. _"Prepare yourselves for battle."_ Was it just Lloyd, or did that voice sound strangely like Undine's…?

"Hellooo…" whispered a voice from behind them and Lloyd, along with the blurry shapes of his friends, rounded to find themselves face-to-face with three half-women, half-fish monsters—Sirens. "Aren't we a pretty one?" cooed the monster closest to Lloyd. From experience, Lloyd knew the thing would try to put him off his guard, so he attacked.

The creature had not been anticipating this move and Lloyd's swords, both swinging with as much force as Lloyd dared put behind them with his friends in the room, hit and took a large chunk of flesh from its arm. It screamed and lashed out at Lloyd; much to Lloyd's horror, he had been slow to pull himself back together and was not as prepared for defense as he should have been and felt the monster's slippery fingers close around the breast of his shirt. Lloyd was tossed across the small room and was forced to grab hold of a pillar to stop himself from skidding into the water.

Through the haze of darkness, he could see his friends finally starting to act. Kratos' sword was out and he was lashing out at the middle creature, the largest of the monsters. Colette and Genis were both tag-teaming trying to take down the third Siren and Raine was trying to separate herself from the battle so as to heal, but Lloyd's Siren was stopping her.

Lloyd grunted and raced forward, propelling himself onto his feet, swords posed to strike. The monster loomed over her, but Lloyd was fast, and as the Siren moved to slash at Raine, Lloyd was on top of it. He lashed out, slamming his sword against its chest and sending it flying backwards, away from Raine. The Professor gasped a hurried word of thanks, but Lloyd blew past her, charging again at the monster.

Even when his monster moved to guard against him, Lloyd's momentum combined with his angelic strength broke through her guard easily and a moment later he was standing over the broken body of the monster. Her empty white eyes glaring at him even in death.

He moved with every intention to help Genis and Colette, but Kratos and his monster moved into his path and he struck out at in by instinct. His sword left bloody slices on its scaly side, but did no more than that. The scales on this one acted as a shield against even Kratos and Lloyd's attacks. The creature let out a bitter, screeching laugh and in one swift movement caught Kratos' sword and slammed its other arm against the man's stomach, sending him stumbling several feet away.

It snapped Kratos' sword in two.

Still laughing, she—it—turn on Lloyd. _"Iss the little boy afraid?"_ it chortled, _"Come ssso far only to fail here…"_ There was magic behind the words, because a wave of panic made Lloyd's eyes slip out of focus.

"I-I…I'm _not_ afraid of _you."_ He tried to focus, but the fear was building behind his eyes and he could feel the pressure against his skull as a headache built. He was being flung through the air again and felt his head collide with stone. He gasped for air as it was pushed from his lungs. The world spun around him and threatened to slip to black.

He focused on the numb feel of his sword in his hand. There was only one now, and he wondered vaguely where the other one was. The sounds of his friends in battle still echoed around him, but he couldn't seem to remember exactly what was going on…

"_Lloyd!"_ Colette. Colette was shouting for him, her voice was high and panicked and so close to his ear… No, she was across the room, but he was hearing it with angelic ears. _"Help us!"_

He forced his eyes open and made himself sit up and found that the monstrous Siren was looming over him. _"Lloyd, please help us!"_ This time it was Raine's voice. He'd been tricked.

Mana gathered at his fingertips and Lloyd, his mind still scattered from the fall, reached out and shoved it away, light gathered at his hands and his one, simple, stumbled movement sent the Siren across the room. Kratos, who had been trying to come to Lloyd's aid, was forced to dodge the monster as it smashed against the far wall of the Temple. It crumpled and fell back into the depths.

Colette, Genis, and Raine had defeated the other monster themselves and they had managed to beat the Seal's guardian. Lloyd smiled slightly and slumped to his knees. His friends moved quickly to his side, Raine already trying to heal him from across the room while Kratos helped him to sit up properly.

"Lloyd? Lloyd are you okay?" Genis looked afraid for his friend. "You're bleeding all over the place."

"It's that his head is bleeding. He isn't too badly hurt…" Raine muttered as she healed, "The head just bleeds more than any other part of the body…" Her hands were shaking as she healed him, despite her own diagnosis.

Lloyd attempted a small grin to Colette and Genis, but it only served to worry Genis more. Colette, on the other hand, smiled back, but it didn't reach her eyes. There was something haunting her.

"_The Guardian has been defeated; Chosen, offer your prayers at the altar…"_ Remiel's voice reverberated around the small chamber.

Colette's wide blue eyes tore away from Lloyd and she turned and approached the altar, her feet almost silent. "…O Goddess Martel, great protector and nurturer of the Earth, grant me thy strength to do your good works…"

Remiel descended from above and he and Colette spoke, but as much as Lloyd wanted to listen, his mind was weak and wandering. He was still very weak from the injuries, despite the fact that Raine had used most of her energy to heal him. Kratos helped hoist Lloyd to his feet and they turned with Genis to listen to the end of Remiel's blessing on Colette.

"Go to the North, where the wind blows and the dead walk, there offer your prayers. Until then, my beloved daughter Colette…" With light and mana, Remiel vanished and Colette turned back to her friends, her wings still out and smiled: it lit her face, but Lloyd could see a shadow behind her eyes.

"Come on, we have to get Lloyd out of here, somewhere where he can rest." She looked so worried about him.

"No, no. I'm okay, I can walk by myself. Let's get out of here and we can all rest. Come on." Although his head was still spinning, and it felt as if he hadn't gotten his breath back, and he was very plainly limping, he still lead the way out of the room.

…

The group made their way out of the Temple without further mischief, the monsters that had made their initial going difficult had fled after the Seal had been released and it did not take them much time to leave. Reaching the outside, they found it to be night—they had been underground much longer than they had thought.

The tour guide had already left, but their washtubs were still floating by the wooden dock. With no one in the mood to try to wrestle Raine into one of the boats, they set up camp for the night there, on the island.

It was late, but Kratos and Genis, for once too tired to bicker, banded together to make them something to eat.

"Lloyd," Colette murmured from behind the angel, "can we talk?"

Lloyd twisted around to see her; Colette was wrapped loosely in a blanket over her white dress. She had taken her holy robes off, leaving only the thin dress to cover her figure; she looked frightfully thin and frail. "Course, Colette. What's up?"

"In private…" Her large blue eyes flickered to Kratos, then the Sages. "Please."

Lloyd nodded and rose, "Are you sure you're okay away from the fire?"

Panic sparked in her eyes and they once again moved, this time to focus on the flames. The red-orange fire reflected in her eyes and she swallowed. "…yes Lloyd, I'll be alright. I don't think it'll take long…"

She led the way, walking slowly so as, Lloyd realized, not to stumble on fallen twigs. They walked far, not speaking until Lloyd, even with his angelic vision, could no longer see the fire or hear the murmurs of his friends back at camp. They were very far out.

"Colette, what's going on?" Lloyd's hand rested on his sword and his ears strained for the sound of approaching monsters.

His friend's next words, however, snapped him from his distractions. "You're an angel."

….

_I feel so alive again! And evil. Gods how I love cliff-hangers. Little is better than leaving an audience gaping at the computer screen._

_R&R for a faster next chapter!_

_~Yoshi_


	18. Chapter 18

_Kay, here's the long-awaited chapter. _

_I've almost nothing to say here so, without further ado, here's the chapter._

….

"You're an angel." Colette looked so serious, her pale face—somehow still angelically pale despite their travels—was honest and open and worried. Despite this, she was so very serious that lying—_really _lying—to her didn't glance through Lloyd's mind.

"H-how…?" Lloyd could only stare at her. What had he done wrong? He didn't think that he had forgotten to repress his mana signature… His mind flashed to the battle back at the Temple, he had fallen close to unconscious; he had used magic he shouldn't have and lost control of himself. But did this mean Kratos knew too? This panicked Lloyd further, Colette he could explain to, Kratos? His father was a very different story.

"Well…" Colette's hands were clasped in front of her, her fingers twined and moving without stop, worriedly fidgeting, "it was the battle at the Seal. You used magic, but I wasn't sure how. Then…after I released the Seal I got more angelic abilities…like being able to see people's mana, like how Professor Sage and Genis do it." Telling about her angelic abilities seemed to embarrass Colette and Lloyd only then remembered that she had, up to that point, thought him ignorant of how painful the angel transformation was. Now that _he_ was an angel, her secrets were as good as out as well.

"At first it was all a blur," she continued, her voice growing softer with each word. "I couldn't really tell much about the mana; it was all really hard to keep straight, the real world and the mana…" It was still kind of hard for Lloyd to keep his vision straight. The way he saw mana—the way that he was pretty sure most people did, though he'd only ever asked Raine, his father, and Yuan—was a blurry overlay of his vision. Like the after-image when one stared at something bright for a long time. The colors were what defined a person. From what Lloyd's limited experience gathered, the colors were a combination of species, mana attributes, and personality.

"Then things started to settle down and I," here she blushed, "started looking at everyone's mana. I thought it was really interesting, and it wasn't what I thought it would be like…"

"Y-yeah…" Lloyd didn't know what to say to her statement.

"Yours is different than everyone else's," Colette barely took notice of Lloyd's words. It was as though she had started on a rant and now could hardly stop herself. She seemed to be trying to get a lot off her conscience. "Like Kratos', but really different… He's an angel too you know…—oh, I shouldn't have said anything!" She covered her mouth, looking apologetic. "I'm so sorry!"

Lloyd almost laughed. Almost. But the stress seemed a little too much for that and he instead nodded. "I-it's okay, Colette, I already knew…

"I think I figured out what you're doing too… You're hiding your mana 'cause you don't want everyone to know what you are. I just don't understand…_why…?_ Why do you need to hide? And if you're an angel, why don't you believe in Martel?" The questions fell on Lloyd and he felt his heart tighten and his throat close.

What was he going to tell her? There was always the obvious option of lying. He was sure he could come up with something on the fly, he was getting so good at that, but did he really_ want_ to lie? It might be nice to have someone to turn to, and he knew Colette: she was the sweetest girl in the worlds. She wouldn't tell anyone his secrets without his permission.

But, to follow the cliché, was he being selfish? Telling Yuan had been different from now. He'd had permission from Yuan in the future to do so, actually, he had explicit _instructions_ from Yuan to tell him. With Colette everything was different; she wouldn't understand his need to stay with the timeline, she would want to save as many people as she could. That was what made Colette so wonderful in Lloyd's eyes, and it was something that he didn't think he could bring himself to corrupt…could he?

Simply looking into her eyes, Lloyd knew that she wanted the truth, but she didn't come close to suspecting what it was.

Lloyd sat down hard and looked out into the dark, the few trees that dotted the landscape of Thoda Island, and the craggy coastline that could not be escaped. "…if I told you I wasn't going to tell you everything, what would you say?"

Colette sat beside him, quietly reaching out and taking his hand. "…I'd ask why you don't think you can trust me…" The girl's thin, child-like fingers traced patterns over the tops of Lloyd's tanned hands.

"Because…because I want to feel like I'm managing to protect you even a little bit…" He laughed and the sound came out hollow, echoing around the land far louder than it should have.

"Lloyd! Of course you're protecting me! You were amazing back in the Temple!"

"That's not what I mean, Colette." Lloyd sighed, knowing that she was trying to make him feel better. "I mean there are lots of things you still don't get, and that I had to learn way sooner than I wanted to. If you don't have to, you shouldn't have to."

"…I don't understand. Lloyd, what don't I know?"

"Palmacosta, the Desians, K—even Dorr, the "incorruptible"; you always believe the best in everyone and…that's what makes you so perfect. I don't want to change that…"

"Lloyd, I still don't understand what you're talking about…" Colette seemed sad, sad that he didn't trust her, sad that he was hurting, sad that she had said something to cause so much confusion. "Please trust me! Please tell me what's going on!"

He could only stare at her. He felt something change as he made up his mind, felt something in his gut twist. Everything had built up to now. The entire fate of the world was resting on this decision. Was he to pursue the proper course and not change the timeline any more than possible or was he to plunge in and continue the changes? He _wanted_ to tell her. He _wanted_ to so badly. So, _so_ badly, but—but…

_What will happen?_ whispered a wicked little voice in the back of his head; a voice that sounded very much like Mithos'. _Colette would want to change things more, save people. She would want to save the world differently from last time. She would try to stray from the Chosen's Journey. You don't have Sheena yet, what would happen then? Zelos, Regal, Presea…you can't make them trust you like you can her…_

Lloyd made a choice that some small part of him knew he would regret—maybe forever.

He lied. "…Colette, I'm sorry, but it's really complicated and…you're safer not knowing. You're the _Chosen,_ we can't risk you!"

A spark of anger was added to Colette's saddened features. "W-what do you mean, I'm the Chosen? What's that got to do with anything?"

"It's Kvar," Lloyd rushed through his words, more lies and partial-truths. "One of the Desians who attacked Iselia-"

"The one who killed your mother…" Dozens of emotions seemed to float through Colette's open face, grief, worry, concern, and, every so often, true anger at her old friend.

"…Colette, I don't know how I'm an angel. Maybe my dad was an angel, maybe my mom was and that's why the Desians wanted her so much, I don't _know…_and I don't know that I want to know." He forced himself to look at her and plaster what he hoped was honesty across his features.

"…and that's why Kvar wants you so badly? He wants to experiment on an angel?"

"I…no, not exactly. Kvar's just a bastard that wants to destroy everything. You heard Ki—Myrrh at the Ranch, he was behind Rodyle and Magnius attacking Palmacosta and who knows what the hell else he's plotting now! We have to complete the Regeneration and get rid of the Desians before it's too late…"

"I…" Colette dropped his hand, her eyes dropped from his as well and she stared into her lap. When she spoke again, something was greatly altered in her voice. "You're right. The Regeneration is all that matters."

"Colette…? What's wrong?"

"You're still lying to me." Her eyes flashed back to meet his again; they were icy. "But even though you don't trust me, I won't tell anyone."

"It's not that I don't trust you, Colette! I just—!"

"You don't trust me; you're still lying to me. I don't know what's going on and I won't tell anyone anything. I'll prove you _can_ trust me. And then we'll Regenerate the World and maybe someday you'll really tell me what's going on." She stood up, pulling the blanket that was draped over her shoulders with her. "Come on, we should get back before the Professor or Kratos gets worried."

"Colette, I'm…sorry…"

Lloyd had ruined everything.

…

Similarly to Palmacosta's continent, the Asgard continent was one of rolling planes, but unlike Palmacosta, small forests didn't dot the landscape. Instead, the planes stretched in all directions. In the north, west and south they were ended by the dark, looming figures of mountains and to the east, though they could not see it, the sea lay.

Unlike Palmacosta, however, the climate was not nearly so temperate and at night, temperatures would drop quite low and in the mornings, the five travelers and their dog trod over iced grass as their breath ghosted 'round their faces. It was a good five days from Thoda to Asgard; the first day they'd only made their slow way from the Thoda House of Salvation north to the continent's second House, there they had chosen to stay the night. The second day had been much longer, and it took them a day and a half to move back to Hakonesia Peak. There, they had been lucky. The survivors of Palmacosta had been left with nothing, no one was able to pay to get through the peak and so, at last, the doors had been opened for free.

Lucky: lucky for Lloyd at least, who realized only after they had been informed of this news that they were supposed to have gotten the pass from Chocolat; she was dead now. The group had stayed the night at the inn that stood on the cliff side, not far from the pass, and gone through the next day. From there, it was three days' worth of journeying to Asgard.

These days were some of the longest so far, as now Colette was no longer speaking to him. They shared the same campfire, meals, and friends, yet the two never shared a watch and she spoke not one word to him. Lloyd found himself slinking away with Kratos to leave Colette with Genis and Raine where they would talk happily and enjoy each other's company.

He was to blame and thus he was the one that deserved to be shunned by his friends. Kratos seemed to notice this, but he had the tact not to comment and simply moved to distract Lloyd with extended training sessions. It was with these that Lloyd managed to distract himself.

"Faster," barked his father on their second night. "You lack the dexterity to take down any well-trained opponent." Lloyd increased the speed of his mock slashes and dodges by what felt like tenfold, but still his father scowled. "Stop. You're not taking this seriously."

"Sorry I don't think of the _air_ as a serious opponent," Lloyd snapped back, short of both breath and temper.

Kratos glared at him for a long moment and Lloyd matched it with everything he had. Finally, the elder angel sighed and adjusted his left glove, then moved to pull out his own sword. "Fine, then we'll spar and see if you consider _me_ a worthy opponent, boy." Sarcasm dripped from his words, but for Lloyd, having a real target to hack and slash at felt perhaps better than it should have.

As he stepped and dodged, lunged and blocked, Lloyd felt himself slip into auto, felt himself act, and it felt so _good_ to not have to think. All he had to do was time his own moves with Kratos', and to not use techs or spells was simple enough. The sounds of their swords clashing echoed around the plain, their feet crunched in the frosted grass and their breath steamed in the night air.

Suddenly, Lloyd was on his back, his footing compromised, and his father was standing over him, sword to his neck. Lloyd was panting hard, having lost his breath when he hit the ground, but amidst his gasping and coughing, he found himself laughing. It was the first time in four days that he'd found amusement in anything.

"D-damn," he choked, "Gods, that hurt. I surrender." He sat up as Kratos sheathed his sword and offered a hand to help him stand.

"You weren't focused," Kratos growled, "You let your mind wander and forgot that the ground was covered in ice. Losing your footing was inevitable; I merely had to help it along. How do you expect to win when you make childish mistakes like that?"

"Kratos," Lloyd allowed his father to help him to his feet, "I'm seventeen. As a teenager, it's my _right_ to let my mind go wherever it wants. Don't tell me you weren't just as bad when you were a kid a billion years ago."

Kratos snorted but chose to ignore the jibe, "I also wasn't trying to protect the Chosen at your age. The more responsibility you take on, the less time you can afford to spend making childish mistakes. You are no longer a student in Iselia, boy, don't forget that."

"Hard to forget when it's this cold," Lloyd faked a shiver for emphasis.

"…again," Kratos barked.

"What?"

"Try again, and this time, don't let your mind wander."

Kratos beat Lloyd each of the three times he ordered Lloyd to attack him. The number of small bruises and scratches that Lloyd had were practically doubled in their next ten minutes of training. Finally, when Lloyd hit the frosted ground for the fourth time, Kratos sighed.

"It doesn't seem that any amount of force will snap you from your thoughts."

"Ow, I dunno, Kratos, if you keep making me hit my head, you might just get what you want. Course, there'll be a few other casualties too…"

"_How_ you manage to laugh at these things," snapped the mercenary, "is beyond me."

"It helps when you have a sense of humor, and let's face it, I've seen _rocks_ laugh harder than you." Lloyd sat himself up, but stayed on the ground. Perhaps if he stayed sitting, Kratos wouldn't hit him so hard to knock him back to the ground.

Much to Lloyd's great shock, however, Kratos sat with him. "…I believe your thoughts are focused on the Chosen…?"

"Her name's Colette, D-Kratos." Lloyd looked away from his father, wondering how the whole world caught onto his problems so fast.

"What happened?" He was trying, obviously quite hard, and Lloyd was touched…and frustrated. Couldn't anyone keep secrets anymore?

"Since when do you care?" It was harsh, far harsher than it should have been. Kratos was only trying to care, but at the moment Lloyd was still full of adrenaline and frustration and his father wasn't about to help that.

"Since it seems to be putting your life in danger," Kratos snapped back at him. Lloyd couldn't tell if that was really his father's motive or not. His words were growled and sapped of just enough emotion that not even Lloyd could tell what he was really trying to say. He would have liked to think that his father really did just _care,_ but he also was getting too used to having his faith left unrewarded.

"We got into a fight, okay? It's _teenager_ stuff that you wouldn't understand." Lloyd tried to fake a bright voice, but he failed completely; he sounded sad and hollow.

"About…?" Kratos prompted, his words were soft now, what with Kratos obviously finding this conversation as awkward as Lloyd was.

"Just…everything. I dunno, it's a long story and she thinks I don't trust her now and all I care about is Regenerating the world! She freaked when I said that and—and now I don't know what to do…"

"I will hazard to guess that you have not attempted to apologize?"

"It's not something just me saying sorry is gonna fix, Kratos…" Lloyd slumped back and let himself fall—this time willingly—into the frosted grass and stared up at the stars. The night was clear and cold and in the black velvet that was space, the stars twinkled down upon them.

_It's not real._ If only to break the comfort of looking up at the stars with his father, the annoying little voice in the back of his head spoke up. _They're just a projection Mithos created coming from the Tower of Salvation._

"Avoiding Colette and your other friends is not going to help the situation."

"I'm not avoid _all_ my friends, I've still got you and Noishe. Look, I'm sure you've got a ton of experience with this kinda shit—"

"Language, Lloyd Irving!" Kratos barked, but Lloyd blundered on despite the growing feeling of discontent about what he was doing.

"—but it's _my_ problem and she's _my_ friend and what I do is my decision."

Lloyd didn't look at his father, but he knew he'd managed to anger one of his two remaining friends. He wanted to hit himself.

With acid dripping from his words, Kratos growled, "We should return to camp before the others begin to worry." The elder angel stood and started off across the field, toward the dark smoke that marked their campsite.

Lloyd sat up, desperate to make amends to his father, "D-Kratos! Wait, I'm sorry, okay? It's…it's just that I'm freaking myself out with this Journey and I've been on the edge since Palmacosta and… I'm really sorry, I shouldn't have said that stuff, you were just trying to help…"

Kratos didn't turn around, and Lloyd felt his heart drop, but when the mercenary finally spoke his words were warm again, "…apology accepted. Do not concern yourself with too much, Lloyd; you are ultimately still a child, remember that."

Lloyd grinned and leapt to his feet, for the first time in days feeling almost happy. "Thanks… Hey, can we train some more tomorrow too?"

"Another time, perhaps, with luck we will be in Asgard tomorrow evening and I think you would prefer to explore the city than train."

"…I guess that's sorta true…" Lloyd rubbed the back of his head sheepishly and he thought he heard Kratos chuckle softly, but it could have been the wind.

….

_Did…did I just not end with a cliffhanger! What is the world coming to? Well, enjoy it, cause I think this might be the last time for quite a while that I don't end it melodramatically_ -_-'

_R&R_

_~Yoshi_


	19. Chapter 19

_Hello! Sorry this one took so long to get out, I had a few bugs in the plot that I had to sort out and Yuan, the little man-whore, kept getting in the way! Luckily I think I got it all figured out and then could proceed with the chapter. That, as always, took ages longer than it should have._

_Oh the upside, I'm finally getting around to answering a question I've had asked a few times. I just needed the proper character to explain it. That's the issue with having Lloyd as your POV character, he cannot figure out this stuff on his own. He just doesn't work like that. Anyway, this should be a nice mellow chapter with a little bit of explanation, as I've been mean enough to hold back on that lately!_

….

Asgard was one of the largest cities in all of Sylvarant, second only to the sprawling streets of Palmacosta. However, now that Rodyle and Magnius had done their work, Asgard had made its way to the top. As Lloyd surveyed the layers of stone and wood houses that rose around he and the others of the Chosen's entourage, he honestly wondered if this could be considered good. They passed under the stone arch that welcomed visitors to the city, the wind at their backs blowing their heavy travel clothes billowing around them, and caught the first glimpses of the ancient city.

The main street that they walked down was full of the bustle of life, and after the silence of the burned Palmacosta and their travels, Lloyd found himself shocked by the mass of humans around them. He had gotten used to the quiet of the winds, grasses, and the footsteps of his friends, but now his angelic ears were in pain from the shouts of people, the cries of children, the sounds of life. Yet he felt a small welling of happiness too: life went on, even when the worst tragedies struck; people—elves, half-elves, and humans—all pulled through and continued with their lives.

Lloyd, who had been feeling very unreal as of late, was suddenly very grounded again and he felt his spirits lift. He had been at the back of the group with Kratos, walking silently and watching the rest of his friends and the mass of crowds around them for any dangers, but he raced forward now, catching up to Raine, Genis, and Colette.

"This place is _huge!"_ Genis gasped, looking around with wide, electric-blue eyes. "Look how high up those houses are! And there are caves all over the place!" Even as he pointed childishly upward, the tiny figures of people swarmed in and out of the caverns and houses and Lloyd laughed, shouted, and shared in their wonder of the city. Even Raine was exclaiming, though her excitement stemmed more from architecture and history than awe of the moment.

Finally Kratos broke through their excitement, "We had best find an inn and regroup, yes?" He had to raise his voice to be heard over the crowds and Raine's lecturing. When the mercenary was finally able to steer everyone to one of the lesser inns, plans were made. It was a unanimous decision—by all but Kratos—that they wanted to explore the city. Raine was well-prepared to drag everyone sight-seeing at all the old picture-caves around the city, then up to the infamous stone dais, and while Genis was perfectly content with doing so, Lloyd, Colette, and Kratos were all less than thrilled with the idea of further learning experiences.

"Perhaps it would be in our best interests to split up for the afternoon and meet this evening at the dais, yes?" Kratos suggested quietly, somehow still managing catch the attention of the four others in the room, and Noishe.

Raine looked hesitant, "I do not think having Lloyd and Colette roam the streets alone is particularly intelligent, Mr. Aurion." She pursed her lips.

"That would be ridiculous; I will of course accompany them." While this obviously did not appease Raine, she could find no legitimate reason, other than her dislike of Kratos, to deny him the suggestion. The two groups split with Lloyd sending Noishe jogging playfully behind Genis and Raine, just to be safe.

Lloyd was both pleased and concerned with how the groups had turned out. While normally he would have been more than pleased with hanging around for the afternoon with his father and Colette, Colette was already mad at him, and Kratos was growing ever more suspicious. Yet it seemed that even Kratos found himself distracted as the group of three wandered down the road, vendors shouting the wonders of their wares.

Colette skipped ahead of the two men, carefully ignoring Lloyd, while Kratos shadowed her, spending his time making sure no one attempted to hurt her. The Chosen dug through beaded bracelets, charms, and assorted ribbons, her happiness and excitement exasperating Kratos to no end. Lloyd quietly followed to two, wondering mildly if it would work to buy Colette a gift when he tried to apologize to her. He sighed and pushed his bangs out of his face, feeling for a moment like his father.

"Why is apologizing so freaking _hard?"_

"Damn good question." Lloyd jumped and cursed, freezing in the middle of the busy street and spinning to face and glare at his new conversational partner.

"What the _hell_ are you doing here, Yuan?"

The Seraph laughed coldly and his green eyes glittered as he looked up at Lloyd, "Am I not allowed to wander the world at my leisure?"

"It would make my life a hell of a lot easier," Lloyd glowered back. "Get out of here before somebody sees you!"

"I doubt the entire time-space continuum will end simply because I am seen. It has yet to be undone by your hand, and you have done far more than I have."

"Don't you _dare_ say Palmacosta was my fault!" At least he knew that Yuan believed him. Or that was the way it sounded at the very least.

"If you had already managed to stop Kvar, it wouldn't have happened, and I believe your whole purpose in returning _was_ to stop him, so in many ways it _was_ your fault." The cool, uninterested tone in which Yuan explained these things made Lloyd's hands clench with fury. The calm happiness of earlier was gone—shattered—and replaced now with cold fury.

"Shut the hell up!" he snapped back. "What do you want anyway? I know you're not just here to talk."

Yuan sighed dramatically, "No, you are correct, this is not merely a social call, but it is nothing so sinister as you seem to think. I simply felt it was necessary to check on you, especially after what came about in Palmacosta two weeks ago."

Lloyd's hands clenched and he glared down at Yuan—though to be fair, they were more or less the same height. Lloyd felt himself thrown off by this, he was used to being able to see over Yuan's head if he just shifted slightly, but his vision was full of blue hair, pale features, and green eyes that held thousands of years of secrets. He didn't think he liked this. "Everything's going fine, alright? Colette hates me, but I'll deal with it. I don't need your help _here,_ I need your help making sure Kvar doesn't try to pull anything and get Mithos on his side!"

"…you seem to be taking it in good faith that I believe your story."

"That's 'because you do, don't you?" Lloyd crossed his arms impatiently. "You wouldn't be here if you didn't believe me. You would've gotten your Renegades to come pick me up, or you would just have left me."

"So much confidence in what you think," Yuan chuckled without humor. "Yes, indeed much of your story adds up. Kvar's actions are not easily explained away without your additions, though he seems to have convinced Yggdrasill otherwise." When Lloyd tried to interrupt, Yuan cut him off. "No, Yggdrasill was not pleased with Palmacosta's fate."

"I was gonna ask _how_ Kvar got away with it," Lloyd grumbled and crossed his arms. He and his angelic companion weaved their way through the crowds. "And how he wrote off Magnius' death."

"Magnius is…dead?" Yuan's green eyes flickered with curiosity. "We were not informed of any such thing."

Lloyd froze mid-step and turned to look up at Yuan, "You didn't know? Rodyle literally stabbed him in the back after they razed Palmacosta! Ki—Myrrh was running the Ranch when we destroyed it."

A dozen emotions made their way through Yuan's eyes, but he finally settled on a cold indifference. "Your destruction of the Ranch is most likely the reason that Cruxis has remained ignorant of—"

"Bullshit Yuan, Kvar's duping your system." Lloyd picked up his pace again, angry. "Have you heard anything from your spies in the Desians?"

"…whispers. There's always been bribery and secrets in the Desians, Grand Cardinals like Rodyle hiding their secret projects by offering positions in their _new world order_ and such, but Kvar seems to be recruiting massively among not only his own men but he has gotten at least Rodyle and the late Magnius as well. Palmacosta was merely to prove that he _does_ have the power he claims he has."

"…what about Pronyma and Forcystus?" Lloyd kicked a pebble out of his way as the two turned a corner onto a less crowded side street.

"Kvar would be a fool," Yuan leaned back against the wall, "if he attempted to bring Pronyma onto his side. Her loyalties have always lain with Yggdrasill, but if what you say of Myrrh is true, this cannot be said of her servants as well. If Kvar is smart, something of which I have no doubt, then her assassination will be his next step. She is more Yggdrasill's spy than anything else…" He paused here, looking distant, "I have not actually heard a word from her for some time, and she would have known if the Palmacosta ranch was destroyed…"

"So we can basically put her on the list of the dead. Fantastic." Lloyd ran a gloved hand through his hair and stared up at the blue sky, "Gods, I didn't _like_ her but…"

"The worlds are better off without her, but if this ignites Yggdrasill's anger, there could be hell to pay. Then again, this is the perfect time to act. The Chosen's Journey is all that will be concerning the Lord of Heaven at the moment. Kvar has plenty of time to cover his tracks."

"So…Kvar's starting up his own little band of Desian worshipers, sneaking around Mithos' back, destroying cities, assassinating people…am I forgetting anything? I am. What about Forcystus? He was in Iselia with Kvar; do you think he's changed sides?"

"…Forcystus is young," Yuan seemed hesitant in his words. "He preferred to remain above the general bickering of the Grand Cardinals. He lacked the ambition the others had, and was outmatched in loyalty by Pronyma, but he spent less of his time obsessing over pet projects and power-struggles. He would be a powerful ally if Kvar were serious about his takeover of Derris-Kharlan, yet I do not see a reason for him to give into Kvar's offers."

Lloyd found himself scoffing, "You make it sound like there are incorruptible Desians. That's practically an oxygen-moron."

Yuan raised an eyebrow, then sighed. "I believe the phrase you were thinking of is _oxymoron,_ and while you scoff, the world is not made of black and white people, Aurion, there are shades of gray."

Lloyd flinched at the name, "I told you, Yuan, call me Lloyd.And don't you think I _know_ that? I dealt with Mithos, hell I thought he was a friend for _ages,_ but that doesn't change the fact that the Desians are corrupt, the fact that you can sneak Renegades in is proof of that."

Yuan shifted his weight from the wall and turned, the action made melodramatic by his useless and impractical cape, "…in my old age, I must have been blinded," he hissed as he stormed down the alley. "The letter spoke of you as such an optimist, I don't see it."

Lloyd felt as if he had been slapped in the face and stared after Yuan until the half-elf had disappeared around the corner. "Y-Yuan, wait! What the _hell_ is that supposed to mean?"

"It means, Irving," Yuan's voice did not change in pitch or tone, but Lloyd knew he was angry, and the use of his other surname did not help matters, "what it sounds like."

"I'm sorry you caught me at a shitty time!" He wanted to shout, but instead dropped his words to an angry hiss to meet Yuan's. "I'm having issues getting through this, okay?"

Yuan snorted, "Why do you expect me to care?"

"Cause we're friends." He used this excuse with Yuan constantly, every time Lloyd tried to talk to him, Yuan would scoff and ask why the hell he should care. Lloyd's reply was always that _they were friends._ The answer was by now automatic and Lloyd had said it before he had thought it through fully.

Yuan turned to look at him, he seemed almost angry, and his hands clenched and the pale fingers that showed under his gloves turned white. "We need to get one thing _very_ straight, boy. We are _not_ friends, nor do I think we ever _will_ be. We work together because circumstances dictate that we be on the same side."

For the second time in minutes, Lloyd felt as if Yuan had struck him, but he didn't allow himself to look away from Yuan's deep green eyes. "…Gods, I forgot what a bitch you are." Yuan looked taken aback, apparently surprised that Lloyd wasn't taking him seriously. "'Course we're friends! I don't know what I'd do without you! It doesn't seem like it now, but trust me, saving the world brings people together." Lloyd grinned widely and rubbed the back of his head.

"…how the hell did you end up so much like your damn father, brat?" Despite his words, Yuan seemed to be deflating, no longer quite so angry.

"Unlucky I guess." Lloyd laughed to throw off the rest of the tension.

"Hmm…" While Yuan didn't so much as smile, Lloyd hoped he saw a little amusement behind his façade. "And just like your father, you lack the ability to properly hide your mana."

"Weak subject change," Lloyd sighed dramatically, caught up with Yuan, and the two continued their meandering, now back on the crowded street.

As per usual, Yuan blatantly ignored him in favor of his own thoughts, "A child could see what you are."

"That would explain how Colette could, and she only just got the mana reading part of her angelness…"

Yuan raised an eyebrow, looking disgusted, "You have _already_ blown your cover?"

"Well I saved it, but…sorta? Wait, if it's so obvious, then why can't Dad, Raine, and Genis figure it out?" It seemed an obvious enough question, and while it was true that Colette was good at seeing small details, it was also true that she had only had her ability to read mana signatures for only _hours_ before she had figured out what was going on. Kratos, Raine, and Genis had all been doing the same for years, so why hadn't he already been called out?

"Stupidity?" Yuan offered sarcastically. "No, it is likely that their experience has blinded them. The half-elves have seen your mana a thousand times; they will no longer be bothering to check for oddities. As for Kratos, he is either in denial, not wanting to believe he has ruined your life by passing on his genes, far too late for that I might add, or is also not looking. He would have checked on the first day you met, at the Temple, and you were at least intelligent enough to keep your mana carefully checked during that time, even when my men captured you in Triet, you could still have passed as human, but you've gotten sloppy. No, your friends have blinded themselves with their trust in you."

"…wow. Not only did I not get most of that, but I think I should be insulted too. Ouch." Lloyd opened his mouth to continue to mock his friend, but a question came from behind that successfully shut him up.

"…Yuan? What are you doing here?"

Lloyd and Yuan turned to face a very angry Kratos and a smiling, if not confused, Colette.

"Kratos, old man, how good to see you again." Yuan took Kratos' appearance in stride, turning and smiling in a way that Lloyd could only call rather sinister. "Lloyd and I were just speaking of you."

Kratos' eyes flashed to Lloyd, then back to Yuan, "How do you know Lloyd?"

"Just met him a minute ago," Lloyd chimed in, "He asked if I knew you, and when I said yes he told me you were friends. You have weird friends, D—Kratos."

Kratos glared between the two of them, but Colette beamed at Yuan and raced forward, taking his hand between hers and shaking it politely. "It is so nice to meat you Mr. Yuan!" she cried happily, "Any friend of Kratos' is a friend of ours! I'm Colette!"

"In…deed you are Chosen," Yuan was so obviously put-off by Colette's friendliness that Lloyd had to chuckle from behind.

"I repeat, what the hell are you doing here, Yuan?" Kratos growled.

"I was feeling nostalgic," Yuan shrugged, "and I had a few things that I wanted to talk to you about."

"Such as?" Kratos was entirely standoffish, obviously displeased with his old friend.

"Palmacosta seems a topic as good as any."

Kratos stiffened, "…Lloyd, Chosen, stay here. I'll be back in a moment." He stormed off and Yuan followed looking exasperated.

After a moment, Lloyd turned to Colette, "We're gonna follow them, right?"

"Lloyd…" Colette looked at him with hurt blue eyes, "I don't think we should. If Mr. Kratos wanted to talk to his friend alone, then we shouldn't go listen in. Besides, you shouldn't try to find out other people's secrets if you're going to keep your own…" It was still about his lying to her—of course it was, what else would it be about? Lloyd knew he should be sorry, and was, but he also wanted to know what his father and Yuan were talking about.

"Colette…Colette you _know_ I'm sorry!" Lloyd, under the honest and concerned gaze of one of his best and oldest friends, found himself at a loss for words. "It's just that there's a lot going on right now! And I don't want my problems distracting you right now! You have a Journey and a world to save and that's a lot of stuffy to worry about without me getting in the way!"

"…but I just want to help_ you_ Lloyd…" Her words were no more than a whisper in the crowds and Lloyd, even with his hearing, had to strain to catch it. "It's no trouble…_really_."

"Colette, I am on this Journey for your sake, everything I've done is to keep you and Raine and Genis and Kratos safe."

"If that's true, then why can't you trust me?"

"Because—…" He trailed off; no lie coming to his lips, no ingenious and brilliant way out of this presented itself. Moreover, Colette could see it; she could see how short he was falling, and she was disappointed. However, before either of them could open their mouths, Kratos returned—alone.

"Come, we are going to the dais, now." Kratos put a hand on Colette's shoulder and began to steer her off the crowded street.

"Where'd Yuan go?" Lloyd hurried after them as he spoke.

"Yuan had to return to Triet," Kratos didn't turn to look back at Lloyd. "You should _not_ be speaking to strangers—especially not Yuan Kafei."

Lloyd shrugged, then realized that Kratos couldn't see him. "He said he knew you! We were just talking, not like it was the end of the world or anything!"

"Yuan is dangerous. What did he say he wanted?"

"To talk. He said he was in town and looking for you, I figured if he was your friend he couldn't be _all _bad." Lloyd was beginning to feel annoyed at Kratos' tone of voice, as if he was some overgrown child who couldn't take care of himself. "I _can_ take care of myself!"

"That, Lloyd Irving, is debatable."

Kratos pushed them expertly through crowds of shoppers and tourists alike, or, rather, he pushed Colette and Lloyd had to scramble and shove through people to keep up. Over bridges and past more shops, down alleyways and at one point through a wide, open square where Lloyd could finally breathe they moved. The Mercenary seemed insistent on getting them as far from Yuan as physically possible.

As they emerged from another alley and back onto the main walkway, Kratos lead them to a steep staircase and began to climb. Colette, as was her usual tendency, stumbled and nearly fell only a few steps up, and Lloyd lunged to catch her, but Kratos was faster and grasped her wrist and slid an arm around her waist.

"Be _careful,_ Chosen." He didn't quite scold her, but the layers of exasperation and disapproval in his voice spoke for him.

"Sorry, Kratos…" Colette looked away, down at her feet, and carefully picked her way up the stairs, careful not to stumble again.

Asgard's stone dais was magnificent, even by Lloyd's standards. As they reached the top, Lloyd realized just how late in the day it was, as he stared across the horizon, he could see the streaks of red and pink across the otherwise blue sky as then sun set. It was cold, the wind had nothing to hamper it up here and the wind almost hinted at winter.

"Lloyd! Colette!" Genis ran up to them, his blue eyes shone. "You made it, I was almost worried Raine was gonna snap out of her Ruin Mode and find you!"

"Sorry we're late Genis, we met up with an old friend of Kratos'."

"Kratos has _friends?"_ Genis looked a little more shocked that he should have.

Colette giggled, "Mr. Yuan was really nice!"

_As nice as a guy who is trying to have you killed _can_ be…_ Lloyd thought sarcastically, but for once remembered to keep him mouth shut.

"What'd you and the Professor do, Genis?" Colette asked.

Lloyd meandered away from his friends as he heard Genis break into an explanation of where he and his sister had been all day. As utterly _fascinating_ as the picture caves were, Lloyd had a lot on his mind, not to mention a date with a bomb. He slipped around the corner of the dais and Noishe trotted to his side and nipped at his gloved hand in greeting.

"Hey Noshy…" Lloyd sighed and attempted a weak smile down at his dog. "Did you have fun with Raine and Genis?" Noishe made a face and Lloyd found himself laughing despite himself, "I know that feeling. So, guess who I saw? Yuan. He's such a _bitch,_ isn't he?" Noishe's head bobbed. "But I think he believes me now, which is _something…_ Still, he's plotting something…"

Another corner turned and there they were; Linar and Harley were both kneeling next to an awkward, bulky machine, twisting at something. "Come one, come on this has _got_ to work…the experiment worked at my lab…"

"Harley, this is a _bad_ idea," Linar hissed down to his friend as he peered over the dais toward Lloyd's friends. Neither man noticed Lloyd. "The dais is an ancient relic and—"

"And this old rock is more important than your _sister?"_ Harley growled.

"Of course not! But there's got to be a better way than blowing it up!"

"Well, when you come up with something, do tell. Until then, _I'm_ going to make sure Aisha isn't sacrificed tomorrow!" Harley pushed several more buttons as he said this.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, Raine'll skin you. Just saying." Lloyd laughed, leaned against the side of the dais—it easily reached his shoulder—and smiled at the two delinquents. "So what exactly _is_ it you're doing?"

Harley jumped to his feet and Linar wrung his hands, "W-we aren't doing anything! You should get out of here, if you're found the Mayor won't be happy."

"Shut up, Linar!" hissed Harley, then he turned to Lloyd, "The damn rock was cracked open by _this_ idiot, and something was let out! Now it's demanding sacrifices and Aisha's next, so we're getting rid of it! The Breaker will kill this evil rock and then we won't have to worry about it anymore!"

"_What!"_ Raine's voice echoed across the peak. "You are not going to do a _thing_ to this relic!" The Professor jogged across the dais, fury sparking in her eyes. "You are obviously ignorant of the importance of this artifact!" She leapt down and as she moved her coat caught on the handle that perched on top of the top of the small red box and as she pulled it free, the handle tugged, turning it on.

Linar, Harley, Lloyd, and Noishe all wailed, and Lloyd dived toward the bomb.

"Stupid woman!" Harley howled, "We've gotta get out of here before she goes off!"

"Don't bother," Lloyd grumbled, portraying a calm that his pounding heart defied. He tugged tentatively on a few wires, then plucked out a red one, then twisted a few other buttons off and dug out a handful of wires and pulled them from their sockets. _Tick, tick, tick, tic—_the countdown ceased and Harley and Linar both stared.

"You stopped the _unstoppable_ Breaker!" Harley gasped.

"It wasn't that hard to stop. And you're an idiot if you make something that you can't control."

Lloyd and Raine were both ready to lecture the two delinquents, but they were saved by the graceless arrival of the Mayor of Asgard. "Who are you people?" he growled, "This place is off limits to the public. Out! Out!"

Raine and Lloyd met with the others at the base of the stairs where Kratos, Colette, and Genis were waiting. Kratos looked irritated, "Where were you?" he growled.

"Saving a monument," Lloyd shrugged, "All in a day's work, right?"

Kratos sighed, "Back to the inn."

….

_R&R_

_~Yoshi_


	20. Chapter 20

_This chapter was not easy, I mean, they really never are, but this one was especially hard because I had to go by the game—for that I'm sorry. You can't blow up a town or murder a population every time though, otherwise when the climax comes I won't have anyone left to torture! _

…_did I say that aloud? Oops! _

_Oh, and a special note: I took a few liberties with the dialogue and situation with the Wind Master. The whole idea that the people of Asgard thought that the Summon Spirit of Wind was sealed in the Dais didn't quite make sense in here, so I adjusted things marginally. It shouldn't make a huge amount of difference, but I figured I should mention it._

_Heh…anyway, sorry it took so long!_

…

The Chosen's Group sat around a table in the tavern of one of Asgard's larger inns. There were a few patrons scattered around other tables and the bar at the far end of the room, but ultimately they were the extent of the guests. Despite how the markets had looked earlier when Lloyd and the others had been about the city, the tourism was all but gone. This was, Lloyd knew, in large part thanks to the creature that Harley and Linar had spoken of, and Lloyd was once again thankful he didn't have to point the group in the right direction.

No, Raine was doing a fantastic job of that herself.

"Un_believable!"_ she ranted to a very tired rest of the group. Only Colette really appeared to care, ant it was only because she believed the Professor was more distressed then she actually was. "That they should kick those of us wanting to learn out of a historical site older than the Kharlan War, it's utterly repulsive! And to do so in such a disrespectful fashion!" As her raging became louder, Genis grew redder and redder and some of the other patrons began to notice that something was going on.

Lloyd felt as if he should say something to nudge Raine's thoughts in the right direction. He chose his words carefully, and then injected them when Raine paused to breathe. "I wonder what those two guys meant by saying there was something taking _sacrifices_ inside the rock…"

Genis sighed, "For the billionth time, Lloyd, it's called a _dais,_ and what are you talking about?"

"Well, there were a couple of guys behind the _dais_ that were trying to blow it up with this bomb thing, and they said that the one guy had accidently cracked it and it let some big monster-y thing was eating people." Lloyd shrugged.

Genis looked skeptical, "Lloyd, that was just some stupid story they made to cover up for their attempted vandalism, that's all. It's a bunch of crap."

"Actually, Genis, Lloyd may have a point." Genis turned to stare in confusion and horror as Raine _agreed_ with Lloyd. "The way the Mayor and his men were acting, it was obvious that _something_ out of the ordinary was going on. Perhaps they were telling the truth. It may actually be in our best interests to ask around…"

No. They had to go find Harley, Aisha, and Linar! There was a lot at risk—this was also one of the few ways that they might manage to find the seal in a timely manner! Time, Lloyd had realized, was something he hadn't taken into account since they had reached Palmacosta. His heart sped and he felt panic rise every time he remembered just how much a day or two could throw off the rest of the Journey. For, while the more vital parts of their Journey were thankfully not completely bent on timing, he had been so very, very lucky they had been in the right places at the right times to this point. If they had left ten minutes earlier from the dais, the monument would have been destroyed and they would have had to find another way to the Seal of Wind.

What if they had not been in Palmacosta at just the right moment that they could run into the Fake Chosen's Group? Lloyd honestly wondered how he had been so lucky up to this point, he wished he could ask Raine or Yuan, if anyone would have the answers, it would be them. Unfortunately, the Raine and Yuan that would be able to answer him would be the ones from _his_ time, and he had no way of contacting them.

"Maybe we should just go find those kids who tried to blow up the dais; I mean, they sounded like they were willing to talk, and it didn't look like the Mayor was going to hear us out in the first place." He hoped his verbal nudge would at least push Raine a little further in the right direction, and that their maneuvers wouldn't come too late.

…

Finding out where Aisha and Linar lived was an easy task, and when Lloyd asked, he carefully didn't mention Harley; the people in town were perfectly friendly until one brought up the half-elf. Their house was on the third layer of housing, and Genis and Raine were both panting by the time they reached the top. When Kratos glanced over at him, Lloyd pretended to breathe hard.

"So…is this the place?" Colette looked at the dried sunflower hung on the door. The house itself seemed cheery enough; the stone, while old and windblown, was clean, and the wooden windows and accents were painted yellow to match the sunflower.

"Only one way to find out," Lloyd walked up to the door and knocked. He knew it was the right house, the sunflowers were the giveaway; Aisha loved them.

A moment later, the door was opened by a young woman with hair as deep-sea-blue as her eyes, she surveyed the group with a solemn expression for a moment, then her lips split into a smile. "Hello, how may I help you?" She was soft-spoken but calm.

"Hi, we're looking for Linar and we were told this was where we can find him…?" Lloyd smiled back at her.

"Indeed it is; Linar is my brother. I hope he hasn't caused you any trouble…"

"No, of course not—" Lloyd was cut off when Raine burst in beside him.

"Actually, we caught him and his friend attempting to destroy an ancient monument, and we've come to make sure he is properly punished!"

"Raine!" Genis groaned from behind her. "That _isn't_ why we're here…" He said it quietly, but Aisha obviously caught his words.

"I see…" she sighed and stepped aside to allow the group into the small one-room lower floor of the house. "Please, come in. Linar and Harley are upstairs, but I think we should…explain a few things to you. I'm very, very sorry for the trouble they've caused…"

The group came inside, Lloyd, Genis, Raine, and Colette made themselves comfortable around the scrubbed wood table and Kratos put himself in a strategic corner, foresight if they were ambushed while inside the house. Lloyd would have been exasperated, Noishe was outside and they would have plenty of warning of coming danger, but he himself had been tempted to stand instead of sit. It could have just been his nerves speaking, though.

There were more sunflowers inside, but most of these were alive and beaming at them. They were in sharp contrast to the sad, worried look that Aisha wore when she appeared with Harley and Linar a few moments later. "Apologize!" she growled to the boys, both of whom were younger than she, though not by much.

Linar mumbled a shy apology; for what Lloyd took for a twenty-year-old man, he was as soft-spoken as his sister, but much more shy. Harley couldn't have been much older than his friend, but instead of apologizing, he snapped angrily at them. "You again! Couldn't leave your handiwork alone, could you? Now, thanks to you, tomorrow Aisha's going to be sacrificed! Unbelievable!"

Lloyd sighed as Raine joined the argument and she and Harley completed at who could yell the loudest. The Professor was shrieking about the loss of precious keys to unlocking history, and Harley was claiming that life was less important to her than old rocks.

"That's enough!" Colette cried, and when Colette spoke, it was one of the few times when Raine actually listened. "We're not here to yell at each other! We want to know what's going on and how we can help!"

Aisha seemed shocked by this proposal, and Harley was, quite frankly, scared of this tiny girl who could manage to shut the raging woman up, so it was left to Linar to explain. "Well…if that be the case, then please allow me to explain. I have been studying the Dais my entire life, and recently had several breakthroughs in what it's old uses were, and perhaps that there is a labyrinth beneath. I wanted to take a sample of the rock back with me so that I could study it better, unfortunately when I was chipping my small sample off the side, the chisel slipped and created a large crack.

"Later that month, at the full moon, a monster appeared and demanded that tribute be paid by the people. For several months it was appeased by gifts of food and treasure, but after a time, it began demanding that we sacrifice _people._ Before the monster was released, there had been a dance—the Maiden Dance—that was performed; it's an old custom, though more for the sake of tourists now. The most beautiful woman in Asgard performs, but after the monster saw the dance, it stole the dancer and has wanted human sacrifices ever since. And now…"

"And now, thanks to _this_ idiot, Aisha's set to be the next dancer and she'll be sacrificed to that beast!" Harley cut in angrily. "We were _trying_ to get rid of that stupid rock and stop the monster, but you've killed my Breaker and I can't get it working again! It'll be _months_ before I can get the supplies for a new one now that Palmacosta's been destroyed!"

The Chosen's Group, or rather Raine, had been sobered by this story. The Professor's eyes were closed and her pale features scrunched together as she pondered this story. It was Colette, however, that voiced what must have been on the minds of all, with, Lloyd thought, perhaps the exception of his father:

"We have to help!"

Lloyd was surprised when Kratos said nothing, and he glanced back to see the man incline his head in agreement. A moment later Genis nodded as well and Lloyd did the same, but his eyes moved back to Raine, still deep in thought.

"…of course we must…" Raine said at last. "The question is _how._ Even if we offered, I doubt the Mayor would agree to let me further examine the Dais, and we don't have much time. You said the performance was tomorrow, correct?" Her eyes opened and at Aisha's silent nod, Raine continued, "Perhaps I could don the responsibility and perform the dance myself…when the monster came, we could attack…"

"R-really?" Harley was now beaming at the thought of having help and even Linar was looking less pale and more interested, but Aisha turned the offer down almost at once.

"We couldn't allow you to put yourself at risk, Miss!" she said in a voice that was somehow both soft, yet very commanding. "If anything, I will remain the bait and you can attack it when it comes for me."

"Nonsense." There was a glitter in Professor Sage's eyes that hinted at an oncoming bout of Ruin Mode. If Aisha had had any chance in dissuading Raine at first, it was quickly evaporating as the half-elven woman realized just how _close_ she could get to the dais. "You are, I assume, incapable of defending yourself. I am more than able to do so myself. You said there was a dance. Teach it to me."

Aisha was still visibly hesitant, "The dance is difficult, it took me a month to learn, to teach you overnight would be…near impossible."

"Aisha, give it up!" Harley rolled his eyes. "If she wants to do it, let her do it! She's offering to _help._ It'll probably save your life!"

"I will not let someone die if I can stop it!" Aisha snapped back, her voice gaining volume.

"Aisha, stop." Aisha and Harley were both silenced by Linar's still-soft voice. "Miss, if you are willing to help us, we will be more than honored to accept that offer."

And that was that; Kratos, Genis, Colette, and Lloyd returned to the inn, Lloyd leaving Noishe in case Raine needed protection while Aisha taught her the dance. The group would have a long day tomorrow.

…

At dawn the next morning, Kratos dragged a very sleepy band of teenagers from the inn across the historic city to the home of Aisha and Linar. Colette and Genis were both still groggy, and Lloyd was making himself pretend to be tired—though if he was honest with himself, he was surprisingly exhausted. He had spent the night worrying, but not about what he would have expected. His thoughts hadn't been full of the horrors that could have been reaped upon the world and the time stream if everything didn't meet up as planned or what kind of damage Kvar could have been doing while Lloyd sat around and waited.

No, his thoughts were on the kind of danger Raine would be in on the dais. Part of him felt as though this was utterly foolish, not only did he very well_ know_ what the outcome would be, assuming everything went as it would last time, but Raine Sage was more than capable of defending herself, something she'd proven on many occasions.

Yet as he had lain awake that night, he'd thought of everything that could go wrong. By that morning, he still hadn't fully convinced himself that this was a good idea.

_Why aren't you worrying like this over Colette?_ The voice in his head, the one that always reminded him of the guilt he should be feeling was whispering again. _She's the one in real danger, hell, Yuan's in more danger than Raine; he's working close to Kvar. But no, you sit here and worry about Raine!_ He knew it was moronic, he knew he had much bigger things to worry about, but he couldn't calm himself down enough to think logically.

"Lloyd, you okay?" Genis cut across his thoughts, they were all back sitting around the table with Linar and Harley, drinking coffee and waiting for Raine and Aisha who were dressing and putting the final additions to the act together.

"Yeah…just a little worried about Raine…" He sighed quietly and brushed his bangs out of his face. It had been a very long time since he, or any of the others for that matter, had managed to get haircuts. Lloyd and Kratos had both managed to shave frequently on the Journey, and Raine had kept Colette and herself in order, but they could all have used a bit of work.

"I know what you mean, she's going to either go up there and make a fool of herself," Genis rolled his eyes as if he expected this outcome, "or actually manage to summon the monster…"

"And then it is up to us to protect her." Kratos cut across their conversation, his voice quiet but powerful, and with enough calm to stop Lloyd's hurriedly pounding heart. He glanced up at Kratos and gave him a small smile. He wasn't sure if the elder man understood what Lloyd was silently thanking him for, but whatever his thoughts were, he inclined his head slightly in reply.

Raine and Aisha stepped down the stairs, first the blue-haired human came, then Raine. Lloyd had seen her in the Maiden outfit only a handful of times, but on each of these occasions she managed to take his breath away, and he wasn't the only one. Harley and Linar both looked impressed.

Raine's silver hair was still loose around her face, but over it she was wearing a yellow and brown hat. Her shoulders and upper back were bare, and for once her clothing clung to the curves of her body. The top was long and of the same colors as her hat, and hung down almost to her knees. The pants, while still baggy, were an almost burnt orange and the look was completed by light sandals. With her blue eyes offset and her pale shoulders bared, she looked…picturesque.

To ruin the image, Raine snatched Genis' cup of coffee and took a deep gulp of the energy-giving potion. "Well, shall we?"

"You just can't wait to get your hands on the ruin…" Genis grumbled, glaring at his coffee-stealing sister. Without actually looking at him, Raine's hand swooped down and hit the boy over the head. While Lloyd could tell it wasn't enough to actually hurt, Genis pouted anyway.

Out, back across Asgard, thought the crowds of early-morning shoppers, up the countless stairs to the Stone Dais the Chosen's Group, Aisha, Linar, and Harley progressed. At the top, a small group of people, including the Mayor from the day before, had gathered to watch Aisha dance. They were about to get a shock, and Lloyd suddenly wished he had had the foresight to tell the already angry-looking Mayor.

"What is going on here?" he demanded heatedly. "Aisha, why is this woman wearing the Maiden clothes? You are to dance." And get eaten, though he wasn't about to admit to that.

"We have come to solve your problem." Raine crossed her arms and glared at the Mayor with slightly blood-shot eyes that dared him to deny her access to the ruin. "My associates and I have practice in dealing with monsters; I will dance and summon the monster and then we'll see what we can do from there."

The Mayor was not an idiot and, while he clearly wanted to argue with Raine, he could see that he would lose. These people were offering to help, and he would lose nothing to let them attempt. "…very well, but if you are lost in this foolhardy attempt, it is hardly our fault."

Raine nodded curtly and walked forward briskly and leapt lightly onto the stone.

The dance was surprisingly simple for having taken Aisha weeks and Raine a night to master. The Professor moved gracefully from one corner to the next, placing the wooden staff in the center of the delicately swirling runes. As she did so, the runes lit brightly as if mana were flowing through them. She went not to the four corners of the square dais, but to the places on the edge of the rune circle inscribed in the center.

Her movements were slow, practiced, and graceful, but when Lloyd caught a glimpse of her face, she looked focused and almost worried. Lloyd wondered if this was because she was so focused on what she was doing or if she was worrying about the attack that was most likely coming. She moved back to the center of the circle and bowed, not to the crowds, but to the west, out to the mountains and the wind.

Almost instantly, the mana from the runes flashed and the wind picked up and, swirling in the center of a whirlwind appeared the monster.

It was a lank creature; its arms almost as long as its body, its head pulled back and attached directly to its shoulders. Horns jutted out of its grotesquely purple head, and two useless flopping bits of skin and bone hung off its back, which could have been fins or wings. It turned blank eyes on Raine and the half-elf stumbled back with a small cry.

From beside him, Colette gasped softly, then cried, "That's some sort of demon!"

On the other side of him, he felt Kratos already moving, charging up to slice at the monster's arm and distract it from Raine. Lloyd jumped and followed after him and a moment later, Colette did as well. Genis stayed well off to the side and began to chant softly, preparing some spell—hopefully Grave.

Kratos and Lloyd leapt back and forth, one distracting and the other swiping at the beast with their sword. It wasn't particularly bright and couldn't seem to keep the two swordsmen straight. Colette threw chakrams from a further distance, but the sharp blades still sliced at his shoulders and further irritated him.

It took a moment to guard, and Lloyd and Kratos both swooped in to hack away at its slightly tough outer skin, but soon realized what was coming when the felt the mana welling around it. They scattered, Lloyd pulling Colette with him as he went, and were able to doge a sudden gust of wind that would have ripped the three of them apart had they been too near.

On the other end of the battlefield, Genis had finished charging his spell; it was not Grave, but Spread, yet the monster squealed with pain and lashed out blindly at nothing. Kratos was suddenly behind it and hacking away, and Lloyd ran forward, compelled to try to help his father. Even as the monster had turned on the mercenary, Lloyd dragged one sword across its back, making it scream again.

"Genis, use _earth_ spells!" Raine shouted across the dais, _"Earth!"_

Lloyd could only hope the younger Sage had heard and understood his sister of the roaring of the winds.

Their battle was a dance as complex and graceful as Raine's had been, but far, far more dangerous. Genis had apparently heard his sister, as Lloyd soon felt a large welling of earth mana to his left.

"Stand clear!" Genis shouted and Lloyd and Kratos both threw themselves out of the way a second time as Grave erupted under the monster, rock slicing effortlessly though the hide of the beast. It went down in seconds and Kratos was there a moment later to slide his sword thought the skull of the beast and made certain it was gone.

The group was panting; Lloyd and Kratos were both supporting several bleeding scratches, but the rest of the group was all well, if not shaken. The crowds were quiet, staring in shock. Then, as if realizing what had happened, someone, presumably Harley, whooped and suddenly everyone was cheering.

…

_Figured I'd end it simply._

_R&R_

_~Yoshi_


	21. Chapter 21

_This chapter ended up way longer than I originally thought it would. Still, that's good news as I, unfortunately, will have to pause in my writing for about two weeks. Until the school year's out. I've just got too many finals and too much work to try to write and study. And yes, contrary to popular belief, I _do_ write in these in-between weeks. Still, you're used to waiting awhile for new chapters, so hopefully I'll pick it back up over the summer and write far more than I have been lately._

_As for this chapter in particular…well, I got a lot of bored reactions, so I figured I'd better pick up the pace, especially since we've still got to get through the Mausoleum. I ended up liking it a lot. Oh, and we've made it past twenty!_

…

Blood.

Fire.

Lloyd wanted to run, but it was as if he had weights on his feet. He was moving slowly, looking ahead, his eyes watering as smoke blew at him and made his throat burn. Flaming buildings, many already down to bare skeletons, surrounded him. A man ran across his path, his hair smoldering, his clothes blazing, his skin red as it burned away. Another, a woman, fell at his feet. She was dying before his eyes, the white bone of her skull showing through underneath the flames that engulfed her body.

Lloyd stepped over the body, despite the fact that every part of him screamed to turn back and help. Even though there was nothing he could have done, and he knew it, but he still wanted to try to comfort her as she died…

As he moved deeper in, Desians began to swarm. They were in the middle of the city now, setting fire to things, laughing. One Desian turned and sliced in half the head of a man who had moved to try and stop the advance. A woman screamed and Lloyd was able to turn his head far enough to see the man's wife and children watching in terrified shock. The Desian was turning on them, and Lloyd's fingers tingled to reach for his swords, but his hands wouldn't _move._

Against his will, Lloyd turned away, something in him, something painfully hypocritical, told him that there were far more important things awaiting him. The screams of dying children echoed behind.

"I won't let you bastards get away with this!" Sheena stood glaring defiantly as a half-dozen Desians surrounded her. "You're murdering all these people!" Her hair had fallen from its ponytail and blood dripped down the side of her face. Her lower lip was slightly swollen and her leggings and skirt were ripped, but she was still standing, Corrine was even by her feet, growling angrily.

"Heh, look at this little bitch," one of the Desians said loudly to his neighbor, "Thinks she's pretty high and mighty, doesn't she?"

"Boys, I've got a few ideas of what we could do with this pretty little thing," another laughed. "Anyone with me?" There was a chorus of laughed agreement and Sheena seemed to pale slightly under the blood.

"Y-you're not gonna have the chance to lay a _finger_ on me!" she cried, almost as if she was trying to convince them of it as much as herself.

"For once, Ms. Fujibiyashi, you are correct." The crowd was pushed aside by Kvar…

…

Lloyd jerked awake. He was panting, sweating despite the fact that he had been sleeping in only his pants and undershirt and the Asgard plains were practically frosted over. He was panting; his chest heaved. He sat up and ran a hand through his hair; it was messier than usual. He wondered if he'd been twisting in his sleep.

The morning seemed to stretch on for Lloyd, though this was mostly due to his inability to think of anything but the dream. There was plenty to distract him. They were once again on the road; the Balacruf Mausoleum was their heading, and the group was making good time. There were even monsters about, but Lloyd could not drag his thoughts from Sheena facing down Kvar in a burning Luin. It took very little to realize that that was where the dream had taken place, but did that mean it had already happened? Was it a premonition of the future? Or perhaps he had simply been stressing too much.

Each option seemed less likely than the one before to Lloyd. He dragged himself across the plains, trying to listen to Raine, Genis, and Colette's lessons or lose himself in conversation with Kratos, but more often than not, he stopped listening halfway through. They had only been traveling a day, but already the rest of the group was worrying about him. He could hear their whispers from where he walked with Noishe at the back of the proceedings.

"Tonight," he muttered to Noishe, "I'll chill out, I swear." The reproachful look that the Protozoan gave him in return for that statement made Lloyd realize just how bad he was. Perhaps it was lucky, then, that but an hour later the Mausoleum appeared in the distance. It was much larger than Lloyd remembered; even across the land bridge they could see it through the trees.

The group stopped, all looking up at the marble columns and towers that created what they could see over the trees. "…it's _enormous,"_ Genis muttered, "unbelievable! How far do you think we are from it, Raine?" Everyone, even Genis, was impressed by the sight, with, Lloyd noted privately, the exception of his father. Then again, he was probably as old as the Mausoleum—Lloyd had never asked—and had seen it a thousand times. All the same, Lloyd felt as though it should stir _something._

"We're at least still three miles…" Raine replied, her voice hushed. "My Goddess, I've never seen such perfect architecture! Think of how it's withstood years of wear and yet retained its secrets! From my understanding, almost none of the past Chosen have even made it this far! We are perhaps the first to be exploring it since the original builders!" Ruin Mode had been entered and Lloyd exchanged a dubious look with Genis who sighed and turned to keep walking, his own enthusiasm fading and embarrassment replacing it.

Kratos snorted from behind them, Lloyd supposed it was due to Raine's Ruin Mode-ing, and said, "I suppose the only way is to continue on, yes?" He, like Genis, began walking again and Colette, Lloyd, and Noishe followed. After another moment of staring, Raine picked up her pace as well, but the never-ending onslaught of information was begun, just as it had at the last two Temples.

"All of the stone for its creation was mined from an ancient quarry north of Hakonesia and carried to the island by boat! It is said that it is the final resting place for Cleo III, though his remains have never been found. Several centuries ago, some explorers forced their way in—oh the disregard for thousands of years of history!—and mapped out several floors, but they believed that there were hundreds of other passages and levels unexplored as of yet!" Lloyd was in wonder as to how his teacher never seemed to run out of breath, and she continued for the next hour as they traversed the last three miles to the building.

It was high noon when they arrived at the base of the hill the Mausoleum sat atop; stone retaining walls built up large chunks of the grassy hill, showing, as Raine put it, "the ingenuity of the Balacruf peoples!" They were surrounded by rich green grass, large rocks and pillars that had toppled and broken were scattered up the hill. It was strangely beautiful, even if there _were_ hundreds of dead bodies inside.

"Split up," Kratos commanded, "look for an entrance that we can use the stone to open." The stone Kratos spoke of was an old stone tablet that Raine had found after the Windmaster had attacked, she had translated it and it had pointed them to the Mausoleum, and they had left the next day. Lloyd wandered off with Noishe, up a flight of stairs surrounded by stone walls and to the next level. He turned another corner and could no longer hear his friends, even Raine's incessant ramblings.

The air was crisp and fresh, but smelled more of the sea here than it had on the mainland. He brushed his hand along the next stone retaining wall as he made his way to the third open expanse of grass and stared around in wonder. Already he was several hundred feet up from where he could still see Raine and Colette talking below them. Kratos and Genis had both vanished from view, but there were many other walls, they could easily be out of his sight.

Lloyd and Noishe ran through the grass; the Protozoan panted and smiled doggishy at his friend's side. Soon they were several levels up and nearing the structure itself. It was massive, even larger up close that it had been miles before. Many of the pillars had crumbled here as well, but Lloyd didn't mind the slightly increased danger and slipped between them as Noishe hung back, looking wary. It was like an entrance, Lloyd realized: the pillars around him held up a majestic curving ceiling and at the center was an altar with a slit in the top roughly the size of the tablet.

"This is the place." Yes, it was just as he remembered. Turning away from the altar, he came out by Noishe and called down to his friends, "Guys! I think I found it!" He sat around for only a few minutes before Raine, Genis, Kratos, and Colette caught up with him. Raine raced ahead, but once again Noishe fell behind. He would stay out, just as he had last time. This was indeed it, as Raine demonstrated by placing the tablet in its place without being told; the small altar began to glow and Colette's crystal did the same.

The wall in front of them slid away, as if the building were yawning, and a blast of musty, cold air was exhaled upon them. Looking between the bright blue sky outside and the darkness that awaited them, Lloyd suddenly wished he could remain with Noishe. Raine's mania had even died down at the sight of what lay before them, and Colette had a small frown written across her normally jovial features. Without any sort of signal, they entered the Balacruf Mausoleum.

…

The first corpses had been shocking for all: soldiers grinning madly, servants still grasping golden trays in their skinless, boney hands. Then, later, the tombs began. By this time they had all grown numb from the sights and smells of death, and the first marble coffins were a welcome sight. Decorated and carved, most were, so Raine told them, the last remains of distant family of Cleo III as well as his court and those who assisted him in ruling the Balacruf kingdom.

The first were enormous, as long as Lloyd was tall and elevated to the height of his hip, but by the third room, these had become as unimpressive as the bodies that lay out to greet guests. Soon the coffins morphed into massive marble boxes carved with the life stories of its occupants or carefully and perfectly carved likenesses of the inhabitants laying in sleep, clutching flowers. Lloyd even spotted one, bafflingly, made completely of glass. Next to the marble, it seemed almost gaudy and Lloyd didn't let himself study it long enough to see what remained of the man or woman inside.

Unfortunately, they had much more pressing worries than examining the tenants of the Mausoleum. They had learned early on that Cleo III, or perhaps one of his relatives, had been greatly concerned with the idea of someone breaking in and stealing their remains, though why Lloyd had no idea. Every other step they took sent spikes jerking from the stone beneath their feet or the walls around them, pits opening up under them, or, in the case of a clumsy misstep by Colette, a boulder chasing them down several halls until Kratos had the good sense to turn and cast fireball at it.

It must have been late night by the time they reached the upper floors. He reasoned this from the way Colette, Raine, and Genis were all yawning and slowing. They weren't talking, even the Professor had settled down. Kratos and Lloyd seemed to be having a very different reaction; it wasn't something he had noticed in the other Temples—they had been much smaller than the Mausoleum and only taken them a handful of hours to traverse. They, Lloyd guessed, had been at this for at least six hours and the rest of the group had no idea that they were any closer to the seal. Lloyd and Kratos did not only know they were closer, but even six hours of walking hadn't worn them out physically.

"Perhaps," Kratos suggested quietly, "we should rest for a few hours." Despite his soft voice, Kratos' words echoed around the chamber. It was one of the smaller rooms, only one coffin lay in the middle of the room; there was no fuel to make a fire, so they set out blankets and Genis dug out jerky and the last of the fruit that they had brought from Asgard. It was quiet and a sense of dark misery hung over Lloyd's friends' heads. Lloyd wanted to say something, but he didn't know how cheer up the others.

Before Lloyd could come up with anything clever to say, though, his friends had dropped off to sleep. Kratos had volunteered, silently, to stay up on guard, and he and Lloyd were the only ones left awake. "…this place is _depressing,"_ Lloyd sighed. "I don't think it's good for the guys…" he motioned around to the rest of the group.

Kratos grunted his agreement, his eyes drifting around the chamber. They were lucky that they had found a place with only two entrances; part of the labyrinth-like structure of the Mausoleum was that every room lead in several different directions, often one could wander in circles for hours before realizing they had passed through the same room coming from a different door several times.

Lloyd yawned and slumped against the wall, the dullness of his companions and the near-dark gloom of the tomb was lulling him to sleep…

…

Flames leapt around him, screams erupted in his ears, Lloyd stumbled through the rubble. There was something important he had to do, or perhaps someone he had to find, but he couldn't_ remember._ Every time he thought he could remember, the horror around him made the thought slip from his mind.

There was a scream and Lloyd tried to speed up, but, again, his feet would move for him.

_Sheena!_ He tried to move, he remembered Kvar and Sheena and he _had _to save her!

…

Lloyd's eyes opened, Kratos was shaking him awake, he could hear the sounds of the others behind, getting breakfast and packing up their beds. "Up," Kratos commanded, "it is time to leave." Lloyd rose stiffly to his feet, he could feel his muscles resisting but there was no pain. They ate a cold, hurried breakfast, then set off again into the cold, dark Mausoleum. They were as quiet as they had been the latter part of the day before.

Kratos had taken point, leading the way through the labyrinth-like passages, but as they wandered, words in a language that Lloyd actually recognized began to appear. It was, however, too dark to read and Lloyd had never been able to tell letters by their feel—despite the fact that they were engraved—his fingers were too numb to really feel the grooves anyway.

There was a tug on Lloyd's memory, and he realized that last time they had relied on these to lead them through. Lloyd pulled out the Sorcerer's Ring and his fingers grouped until he found the wooden stand the held up a torch. Carefully he aimed and set the torch alight, the flames leapt and Lloyd could read the vague clues.

"Lloyd!" Raine cried, racing back toward him down the passage, "What are you doing!"

"There was a torch!" Lloyd cried when his teacher seemed ready to smack him. "Look! Clue!"

Raine's eyes widened and she raced over to the wall and began to examine it. Ten minutes later Raine had replaced Kratos as head of the party and they were not so much wandering as racing through the passages in what Lloyd remembered to be the direction toward the seal. They reached the final floor, around them windmills sat stationary and Raine held out her hand to Lloyd, as if waiting for something. He blinked at her. "Erm…yes?"

"Give me the Ring." Oh. The Sorcerer's Ring, he pulled it off his finger and handed it to the Professor who walked over to a pedestal and began fiddling with it. "Aha!" she murmured and Lloyd felt wind mana well, she then walked over to one of the windmills and aimed the Ring. Not fire, but a blast of wind erupted from it and the fan began to spin.

She moved around the chamber, starting the fans in a seemingly random order. A minute later, she had finished and an innocent patch of wall on the far side of the chamber opened and Lloyd and the others filed out into blinding sunlight.

The seal was a large altar, like the others, and it sat at the far end of the wide, flat plane. The wind was stronger up here than even on the dais, and the sky was cloudless and bright and the sun was directly overhead. Lloyd had been several hours off his estimation of the time. While he had been standing, staring at the scenery, his friends had started off toward the altar. Lloyd hurried to catch up with them.

Without being told, the others stopped several feet behind Colette while the Chosen had stepped up to the altar. Her crystal glowed and the wind blew harder; from nowhere a great monster appeared, howling and roaring. It was some sort of bird, great and vibrantly blue; its feathers were every shade of the rainbow, reds, yellows, greens, purples, all bright. Its beak was wide and cold and as sharp enough to crack skulls and its claws were as long as Lloyd's arm.

"My Goddess, an Iapyx!" Raine gasped, "It's an ancient beast; said to live a thousand years or more!"

"Which means it's skilled," Kratos growled. "Wait for it to attack, try the same strategy from Asgard. Sages to the back, Colette between the two, Lloyd, back me on the front." Kratos had only just managed to finish his orders when the monster attacked. Mana gathered at its wings and as the Iapyx flapped them, Lloyd braced himself in time to face blades of air that slammed into him. He stumbled back a few steps, but at the same time, Kratos raced forward and tried to slash at it.

With a squawk that sounded much like laughter, the Iapyx dodged out of the way, but Kratos sliced the ends of its feathers. It screamed and flapped the wing harder, trying to stay airborne. It caught its balance and both Lloyd and Kratos lunged for it with swords raised, but found themselves nearly running into each other as the Iapyx took to the air, flapping awkwardly at the loss of its feathers, but still stable.

Kratos swore and spun on Genis, "Earth spells, dammit!" he hissed. Lloyd understood his father's frustrations: they could easily have flown up and followed it, taking the battle to the air, but with Raine, Genis, and Colette…no, Lloyd corrected himself, Colette was aware of what they were. Kratos, however, was not. One way or another, he was_ not_ about to take to the air. Genis sent several heavy balls of earth flying at the monster, but it dodged with another bought of mocking bird-sounds.

Lloyd growled and glared up at it, how where they possibly going to get it down? A moment later, Lloyd discovered that standing under a monster with large, sharp talons was a very, _very_ idiotic move, as he was forced to dodge out of the path of the monster's wicked claws, his arms being gorged in the process. He was lucky that it was not his face. He stumbled backward, staring at the mass of torn muscle and blood that was now his left arm. Kratos was shouting at him, but Lloyd did not hear his father's terrified anger or the shouts of his friends, he just saw red.

His heart pounded in his chest, but it felt as if the organ had transplanted itself in his Adam's apple; part of him felt sick at the sight of his arm, but his mind had gone into overdrive, just as it had a the Temple of Water. He knew it, he knew that what he was about to do was dangerous and stupid and would probably set the rest of the group on his trail, but logic did not stop his legs from moving him forward. He leapt into the air, raising both his swords, _"Raining Tiger Blade!"_ He screamed, his blades striking the left shoulder of the beast and sending it spiraling to the ground.

He came down atop it, his swords slashing against the monster's snapping beak as it tried to bite his leg. Lloyd was not lucky, and he caught one of his blades in the monster's mouth,_ snap!_ The sword split in two, Lloyd was let holding the handle of a jaggedly-cut knife. In his moment of shock, he was thrown off the bird-monster's chest and wings and sent flying to the ground. His head hit the smooth, weathered rock of the roof and felt the air leave his lungs. He gasped but air did not come; Lloyd felt as if he wanted to be sick. Around him he thought he might have heard his friends screaming, but his could not see, let alone gather enough of his mind together to hear.

The Iapyx did not give him time to recover, it was over him in a second, long, sharp beak snapping at his face, he felt his cheek tear and his flesh come away in its beak. The pain wasn't there, only numb anger, the feel of his body giving out and he felt himself slip away…

…

"Who the hell are you!" Sheena shouted at the grinning half-elf. "You're in charge of these bastards? Well, take them and get the hell out of Luin!" Her hands clenched, crumpling the paper seals grasped between her fingers. At her side, Corrine growled, a sound that was far too small and soft to be of any real threat. Kvar only laughed.

"I have no intension of removing my forces from his village until after I have what I've come for." Lloyd couldn't see Kvar, he was turned away, as if standing beside the Desian. Whatever the half-elf's expression was, though, it terrified Sheena. Under her tough exterior, even covered in the blood of other Desians, as well as her own, Lloyd could see the fear that Kvar was inspiring.

"What do you want? Take it and get out of here!" Her talk was plainly harsher than anything she could do when Kvar had a half-dozen soldiers around him, and he laughed.

"You, child, are my goal."

…

"Lloyd!" Colette cried, jerking Lloyd from his dreams and the angel's eyes jerked open. He gasped and rolled onto his side, heaving up the small amount of breakfast he had eaten.

"Colette," Raine's voice commanded, "dear, give him room. He still hasn't recovered his breath." Lloyd felt thankful to her for her consideration. He opened his mouth to say so, but found himself dry-heaving and coughing violently. He stared down into the pool of sick and moaned.

"W-what…?" he managed to choke as he rolled back onto his back. He was staring up at a clear, cloudless blue sky; they were still on the roof of the Mausoleum, but Lloyd's memories were cloudy. All he could recall was Luin, Sheena, and Kvar, and those were things that he would have been more than happy for forget.

"You were attacked by the Iapyx," Kratos growled, "Lucky to be alive. If Genis and I had not managed to kill it, you would be dead." He was clearly not happy with Lloyd's rash decision to throw himself at the monster with one of his arms completely destroyed. He raised his arm high enough to catch a glimpse of bloody, mangled red sleeve, but he found his own tanned skin, healed, but with deep, shiny scars all across it.

"My…arm…" he panted and slumped back against the stone.

"I healed it, mostly, Kratos also assisted and we've used our entire gel supply on you. That was an _extremely _dangerous maneuver, Lloyd Irving! It's a miracle you're alive!"

"With a move like that you don't _deserve_ to have survived," Kratos added snidely.

Wanting to turn the conversation away from his own stupidity, Lloyd took a moment to catch his breath, then coughed, "Did you…r-release the Seal?"

"Yup!" Genis said, interrupting the obviously angry comments that would have come from Raine and Kratos, "We're supposed to find a place that gazes upon the Tower of Salvation. Colette didn't get a halo or anything though…" Lloyd struggled not to make a face at Genis' comment and glanced at Colette. She looked pale and with a jolt, something Raine had said sunk in. _They had used all their gels on him!_ Colette was going to come down with a fever and more angel toxicosis in only a couple of hours, how were they going to take care of her then?

He wanted to voice his realization, but sitting up seemed to take all the energy from his voice. "Rest," Kratos said and gently pushed him back down, "If you hurt yourself further, neither Ms. Sage nor myself have enough mana left to heal you. We'll spend another hour here, then start down to the exit."

That was precisely what they did. Lloyd could easily have sprinted the length of the Mausoleum roof after thirty minutes, thanks to his angelic blood, but Kratos and Raine kept him laying. An hour, then two passed and it was only Lloyd, the only one not completely obsessed with his own state, began to see Colette turning pale, but the Chosen hid herself well. Finally, Professor Sage claimed Lloyd was well enough to walk and the group started back down through the hundreds of rooms of the Balacruf Mausoleum.

Leaving was, shockingly, faster than coming. Retracing their steps, Lloyd realized that they had been wandering in circles through most of day before, and with Raine interpreting the cryptic messages left on the walls, it took but several hours of walking to find the sunlight again. But, as Lloyd quickly recalled, with the sunlight came a price. Sheena was sitting before the entrance, staring into the gloom that was the Mausoleum waiting for them. When she saw them coming, by this time both Lloyd and Colette had fallen to the back of the entourage, she leapt to her feet, pulling out one of her seals.

"You're not going any farther!" she claimed, but Lloyd found he was shockingly happy to see the assassin trying to kill them. If she was here, there was no way that she could have been taken by Kvar. He had not missed the razing of Luin. It was _only a dream._

Kratos growled angrily in the back of his throat, "You really wish to challenge us, girl?" The Seraph was angry and losing any semblance of patience he might have had left. His hand clenched the hilt of his sword and Lloyd saw his fingers turn white under the pressure of the grip.

"Of course! You're _not_ gonna complete your Journey! I have to kill you—well, I'd only have to kill _her_ if you'd just hand her over…" She motioned toward Colette, whose eyes were wide and she shook her head vigorously.

"Friends don't kill friends!" she cried, looking so completely sincere that even Kratos was thrown slightly. "Can't we just sit down and talk about this?"

"I-I…we're _not_ friends!" Sheena stared. "Gods! Can't you get that through your head!"

Colette opened her mouth to reply, but Kratos cut her off furiously, "Enough, Chosen. This woman is trying to kill you, whatever her motives are, she is our enemy. Ms. Sage, keep the children back." Lloyd's eyes widened as he realized what his father was about to do.

"D—Kratos, don't kill her!" Lloyd called, but Kratos ignored him and pulled his sword from its place at his side. He stood waiting, the blade lose in his grip as he eyed his Mizuhoian opponent.

"Er…" Sheena was more than slightly put off by her sparring partner, but the ninja was never one to deny an opponent. "Alright old man, let's see what you've got…" Light on her feet, Sheena raced forward, but Kratos was faster and he stepped away from her charge and brought his sword around to cut into her back. She shouted with pain and caught herself, rounding on him angrily.

Sheena pulled out a seal and made a fast hand motion, activating it and sending it flying at Kratos; a moment before it reached the mercenary, it exploded, sending smoke billowing around the cramped entrance of the Mausoleum, but it was an ill-thought move. The fresh air outside sucked and pulled at the smoke, clearing it quickly. All the same, Sheena charged into the cloud and they heard Kratos grunt and a moment later he stumbled out of the smoke, a deep gorge dug into his forearm.

The ninja leapt out at him, but Kratos was fast and he brought his sword up to defend himself, first blocking a series of seals, slicing them with the blade, and then taking the offensive. His sword cut through the air, and Sheena was only just able to jump away to avoid being hit in the shoulder with a blow that would have struck her down in seconds. Instead he hit her right arm; the girl cried out in pain and stumbled back several more steps. The mercenary advanced and Lloyd saw Sheena's eyes widen as she realized how quickly she was going to be taken down.

She fell backwards, landing klutzily on her backside, but in a moment of inspiration, she laid back and caught Kratos' oncoming sword between her ankles and tried to pull it from his hands. Not having seen this coming, Kratos lost control of his sword and it clattered to the ground some feet away. Sheena launched herself to her feet, despite the fact that one of her arms was beginning to bleed rather heavily, and moved to attack again.

Kratos blocked each oncoming blow that the ninja tried to land. Her hand flew at him, some with seals, some just wickedly skillful fingers. The skilled angel was only defensive for a few seconds, for a moment later he caught her wrist and tugged her off the ground, sending her across the small room to slam her head against the stones of the far wall. She tried to recover, lurching herself back to her feet, but she stumbled and slumped back against the stones, groaning. A trickle of blood slid down the side of her cheek.

Kratos stormed across the room and retrieved his sword, turning on the dazed girl; Lloyd saw murder written in his eyes. Lloyd lurched forward, "Alright, alright, you won. C'mon, let's go." He glanced at Colette and saw, much to both his horror and inspiration, that she was paler than she had been a moment ago. "Colette looks ready to tip over and I could use a little sleep too. Just leave her, Kratos."

The mercenary turned to Lloyd, angry. "This may be our only chance to get rid of her. If we leave her, we put ourselves in danger later. We put the _Chosen_ in danger."

"You just proved taking her down's not a problem. You don't need to _kill_ her to get your point across."Lloyd tried to put as much authority into his voice as he could when it was his father he was reprimanding.

Kratos opened his mouth to protest, but Colette, her voice weak but calm, cut him off, "Mr. Kratos, Lloyd's right. Let's…c-can we just go?" With Colette swaying and Raine suddenly realizing just how ill she was, Kratos could see his battle was already lost.

"…" he sighed, "I am going to tie her up," he said at last. "You two won't last another mile, we'll tie her up outside and camp a ways away. If she comes after us in the night, I won't take mercy."

…

With Sheena tied up almost a mile from where they finally made camp, Lloyd found himself drifting easily. They had eaten—Genis had made stew from their remaining supplies—and Lloyd found himself full, tired, and recovering. It took him no time whatsoever to slip off. Unfortunately, with sleep, again came the dream.

…

"What the hell do you want with me!" Sheena's hands were still clenched, but her fingers itched toward her seals.

"You will make good bait, I think. Lloyd will come when he discovers I've taken his little friend…" Kvar was completely confident, and he made a small motion with his left hand. A moment later, a dozen Desians were upon Sheena, pulling her to the ground. "Yes," Kvar chuckled, "I will be seeing master Lloyd very soon…"

…

Lloyd gasped, fully sitting up as he awoke. Dull pain shot up his neck from his arm and shoulder and he groaned, rubbing his eyes with his good arm and carefully stretching the scarred arm. His heart was still thudding in his chest like a drum, and he looked around their small camp to find Kratos, the same guard they had left up last night, watching him with a raised eyebrow.

Lloyd attempted a rueful smile, "Just a bad dream…"

Kratos nodded and turned his attention back to the misty morning. Lloyd rose and grabbed his jacket, feeling his body begin to shiver in the cold that he could not feel. As he carefully fixed the top few buttons, the only ones he ever bothered to undo, he pondered over the dream. At first, he had been convinced that it was simply panic and nerves that had been causing it; they were, after all, getting close to the time when Luin would be destroyed and he would see Kvar again, but now… Now it felt like there was something behind it.

His fingers slipped on the cold button and he caught it again. He knew what he could do to have his questions answered, but he dreaded the idea of admitting that he needed help. Yuan was one thing, but this… Yet time was short, they could be to Luin in a week at most, and if what his dreams were telling him was true, it would be too late to ask for help…

If, however, he was wrong, he would look like a complete fool. But, Lloyd considered, if one already was an idiot, fool was a step up. It was an optimistic morning, as he saw. Do it now, while he could catch a few minutes alone. With a quick excuse to Kratos as to why he was wondering off on his own, Lloyd hurried away from the group and out into the morning. When he was quite far from hearing distance, he called out, "Origin…?" When there was no immediate reaction, he called several more times, each time a bit louder.

Finally, from behind him, someone growled, "What do you want, boy?"

Lloyd jumped and spun around, finding himself facing a grimacing Origin. The Summon Spirit had been the most against his trip through time; he had gone on and on about what dangers it presented, about how more often than not one was driven mad… Yet Lloyd had insisted, and now he had to return to Origin with his tail between his legs and ask for advice. "Nice to see you too…" he grumbled in return to the Spirit's chilly greeting. Origin only glared, his human face pinched into lines of annoyance. Lloyd sighed, "Look, I've got a question, okay? I keep having this dream…" He described the dream, the perspective, the way Luin burned, how Sheena was kidnapped.

Origin did not look happy. "This," he growled, "is one of the many reasons I gave as to why this was a _terrible_ idea."

"So, what? I'm going insane?" Lloyd would never have admitted it, but the very idea was rather…frightening.

"Hardly," Origin snapped. "It is a type of premonition. Because you've moved through the time steam into a time that you have already experienced, and now have found yourself worrying about specific events—ones that are most likely going to change because you are not alone in changing time—you mind has opened up enough to catch a glimpse of the future. Or, rather, one _version_ of the future."

"…did you just say I can see the future now?" Lloyd put more enthusiasm into his voice than he really felt, just to annoy the God. "Cool!"

Origin snorted, "It is far from _cool,_ it is dangerous. One can lose themselves in searching the future. And you can only see it when your mind it weakest. Stress, physical and mental, combined with sleep weaken you enough to see what is to come."

"So…Kvar'll try to take Sheena back to the Ranch with him to bait me?"

"Most likely, yes."

"And…I'll have these dreams until we get past that point?"

"It would seem so."

"Can I change it? The future?" Lloyd was having a difficult time wrapping his mind around any of this nonsense.

"…I wouldn't. You are already a threat, and if you are having premonitions, most likely your enemy is as well. Or at the very least I would not underestimate him. Continue with what time dictates."

"…" Angry words were on the tip of Lloyd's tongue. Was he to _let_ Kvar take Sheena and destroy Luin? But he knew better. _Yes,_ that was exactly what he was supposed to do. Just has he had with Iselia and Palmacosta, he was going to have to watch another village die. Finally, the question that split his lips was, "…will there be more? When I get through Luin, will I see other stuff?"

"Only if your mind is very weak," Origin frowned. "Do no push yourself as you have been doing. You will regret it."

…

_Wow…that turned out longer than I meant. Well, see you in a few weeks!_

_R&R_

_~Yoshi_


	22. Chapter 22

_Hello again!_

_Sorry it's been so long since the last update, school absorbed my life and I had no time to be writing. Thank you for bearing with me during the long wait~_

_This is part one of the Kvar Saga!_

…

Lloyd had pushed them too hard, but his worries had been too great. From the Balacruf Mausoleum to Asgard, then straight to Luin, his friends had become increasingly suspicious of his motives. He insisted they walk late into the night and woke them all early; Kratos' eyes were filled with guarded suspicion and worry that filled Lloyd with guilt every time their eyes met, Raine was doing even worse at shielding her growing suspicions. They had all questioned him, even Colette had tried to find out why he wouldn't let them stop, but he had gracelessly eluded their questions. Excuses that had begun with "I just want to get to Luin" had dwindled to simply "because we need to move."

What was normally a five-day journey up the continent took them three days.

At first, Lloyd had wondered in the back of his stressed and panicked mind why his friends continued to follow him. They were very clearly growing tired, or at least the mortals were, but his questions were soon crushed when, one night when he and Noishe had returned from collecting firewood, he overheard their conversation.

"I believe he knows something that we don't," Raine's voiced said softly, the words carrying over the cold, empty plains. "We've all seen him, he thinks he's hiding it, but he's panicked. Whatever it is, he refuses to tell us." Lloyd felt his blood turn as cold as the air around him and he held his breath, waiting for one of his friends to answer.

"But why would he hide anything from us?" Colette questioned, "He's bringing us with him, why would he lie?"

"Because, Chosen," Kratos answered emotionlessly, "he is afraid. Fear causes us to act irrationally. Perhaps he believes that he is protecting us—Lloyd is kind to a fault, though why he keeps these secrets from us, Ms. Sage, I worry."

Raine's testy reply made it clear that no amount of concern for Lloyd would change her opinion of the mercenary. "No, Mr. Aurion, the question is why he keeps it from_ me._ He does not know or trust you as well as you seem to think he does." Raine's anger made the collective exhausted mindset obvious.

That Kratos only let out an angry hiss in reply, did not argue the point, did not _slap_ the teacher, both relieved and saddened Lloyd. It said that he agreed.

"What could be freaking out Lloyd so much that he thinks he needs to hide stuff from us?" Genis asked loudly, obviously not able to read the signs that Kratos and Raine were not in the mood to really fight. "What could he know that he wouldn't want to tell _us?_ We're his friends!" His question was followed by an oppressive silence as the four companions found themselves unable to answer the simplest question.

"We must," Kratos said softly, "follow Lloyd's wants, given another few days, he will either break down and tell us what it is that is disturbing him, or we will reach Luin and learn what terror we have been running to."

Kratos' words were turned to reality now, as the Chosen's Group stepped into the burned remains of Luin. The sky was too bright, the clouds dancing happily through the blue and casting swiftly moving shadows upon the hell that lay before them. They picked their way through the burned rubble, the empty streets cried of a terrible battle, one to wipe a populace off the face of the planet. This was not Palmacosta, in which the horror had been in the bodies of the dead littering the destroyed city; no, it was Luin's suffocating silence that made Lloyd's fingers sweat inside his red gloves. It was so quiet he could hear his heartbeat pounding in his ears, and, if he listened hard enough, those of his friends around him.

"…you knew what we were walking into," Genis whispered from behind. "You knew all along, that's why you pushed us." He was merely voicing opinions Lloyd had already heard, but something about the way he said it made Lloyd's stomach churn even more than the emptied city alone had. It was the childish, innocent anger; it made him want to clutch the sides of his face and slump into a ball on the blood-less street and cry. "Why didn't you tell us!" The shout ripped across the perfect hush and Lloyd flinched.

"Because," Lloyd swallowed to give himself time to think, "because I didn't know what would be here when we got here." His tongue seemed too heavy to speak properly, but the words still left his mouth with perfect clarity. "It was…just a dream. Didn't know if it'd really be coming true…" His mind was numb, but the half-truths slipped from his tongue easily. "Didn't wanna freak you out over a dream…" Fragmented sentences were all he could manage with the sight before him, but his friends seemed strangely accepting of this weak excuse.

"…explanations later," Raine murmured and Lloyd heard her step forward, presumably putting a hand on Genis' shoulder to comfort and quiet him. A flair of longing and jealously found its way through the shock; Lloyd had been through just as much—more, really—than Genis, yet he had no one standing comfortingly at _his_ side. Even his father was keeping a distance. They were nowhere near as close as they should have been at this point. Another blow hit Lloyd, somehow making him want to sob even more than Genis' accusations had. "For now, we must search the village; there may still be someone here to answer our questions. We'd best split up. Genis and I, Kratos and Colette, Lloyd and Noishe."

He should have known at the time that there was something suspicious about Raine allowing him to run off on his own, but Lloyd only nodded and turned to wander off into the mess of burned village. Out of sight from his friends, Noishe panting beside him, Lloyd broke into a run, leaping smoldering mounds of wood and rubble to the farthest end of Luin.

The fountain was broken, water leaked across the ground, slipping over the side of the grassy bulk of the island and washing away into the lake that surrounded Luin. Lloyd's heart stopped at what he saw. Nothing. There was no ninja crouched in the water waiting to die. His dream had been true. Kvar had Sheena.

What there was, however, was a note. The crisp, white paper was in painful contrast to the mess around him. It was so obvious; Lloyd knew it was for him. He picked it up off the stone wall of the fountain and stared at his name, written in perfect cursive across the envelope. He tore it open, ignoring the perfection, and pulled out the letter with shaking hands.

_Master Irving—_

_By now I am sure that we are both anxious to meet again. I have heard many tales of your exploits and I have no doubt you have heard many of mine as well. I have, as with what the Time Line commands, taken the populace of Luin as well as your lovely friend Ms. Fujibayashi. I am sure you are anxious to see her again, but trust that she will be alive and well. It will be a pleasure to see you once again._

_Hoping you make a swift arrival,_

_K._

Lloyd was numb with shock; his dream, despite what he had hoped, had come true. He stared at the handwriting, the little black letters scrawled out the fate of his friend between the lines. Kvar said he wouldn't _kill_ her, "alive and well" said that clearly, but in Lloyd's experience, one could survive quite a bit of pain and torture. It was just a matter of if your mind could pull through as well.

The note crumpled in Lloyd's red-gloved hand, the paper twisting under the force of his nervous fingers. It passed between his hands, ripping and tearing, and then fell to the ground in a mess of white and smearing ink as the water leaking from the fountain mixed with it. Lloyd made no move to retrieve it is the waters washed it away and off the side of the small, grassy island and over the sand, and down into the lake.

What, Lloyd wondered, to do now? The letter was gone, and while he perhaps should have shown it to the others, the idea of trying to once again explain how he knew Kvar twisted his stomach. He would say he had heard that the Desians had a Ranch to the north; it was a simple solution. After all, who besides the Desians could have caused such destruction? He would have to take Kvar down on his own, not a prospect he was looking forward to, but if Kvar were to say something to one of his companions, the game would be up.

There was always the option of leaving on his own, flying to the Ranch and confronting Kvar alone, but he was not sure he could handle that. He was nervous, jumpy, and thinking in circles; having Lloyd's friends there would at least allow him to keep a calm head, if only for the worry of what could happen to them if he did not do so.

Without him telling them to, Lloyd's feet had started to take him back toward the south entrance where Raine had said to meet up again if they had found anything. Noishe ducked his head under Lloyd's hand, whining with concern and affection, but Lloyd ignored him. Though it seemed as though no time had passed, Lloyd found himself facing the others, all of whom had been talking quietly together. For once, their whispers did not cut off when he approached, and Lloyd was able to join in the conversation with an ease that he had not had for some weeks now.

"It's _gotta_ be the Desians!" Genis exclaimed, "They've been after us from the beginning, even in Iselia. And this seems exactly like something they'd do: take the entire population prisoner and destroy the town as a warning to travelers." The young half-elf's face was flushed with anger and one hand was clenched around his kendama, the toy fizzled with electricity fuelled from his anger.

"I don't understand why they would do this though…what do the Desians want? Why would they destroy Palmacosta and Luin? What do they accomplish?" Colette, unlike Genis, seemed to be drained by all the destruction around her; Lloyd had the feeling that she would have been crying had she the ability to do so.

"Political reasons perhaps, there is a chance that Luin was in closer contact with the Desians than the other cities realized. After all, if the rumors are true, there is a Ranch only a few miles north of the village. A sudden, violent attack would not be difficult from that distance, as Iselia proved. The Desians must have heard that the Chosen is growing ever closer to completing the Journey of Regeneration, if they want to either discourage her journey or go down fighting, this would be the way to do it." Raine was grim, her mouth set in a line as she reported her theories. Her crystal eyes scoured the dead landscape as if looking for an enemy that would never come.

"…so what's our plan of attack then?" Lloyd spoke, at last, the emotions of what he had been seeing and the stress of the note that was now most likely sinking to the bottom of the lake had broken his voice. "There's not a body anywhere, all these people are _alive,_ and probably being subjected to a slow, painful death. We've _got_ to try to help them." Colette, Genis, even Raine were nodding, but Kratos made an angry sound in the back of his throat.

"As satisfying as attacking would be; it is foolish and out of the question." Despite the elder's gloves, Lloyd could see that his knuckles had gone white as he grasped the handle of his sword. "We had best," he continued, ignoring the protests of Lloyd and Colette, "continue with the Journey. When we succeed, the people will be saved and the Desians defeated. To enter and destroy each Ranch is unrealistic and pointlessly dangerous. We cannot put the Chosen's life in danger so blatantly. The Asgard Ranch is run by Kvar, he is far more dangerous than anything you could possibly imagine."

"Duh, we know that already!" Genis was practically shouting now, "Remember? That bastard attacked Iselia with Forcystus. It's time we paid him back for Luin _and_ Iselia! You don't have to lecture us about how _dangerous_ he is; we've already met him!"

Lloyd could see the fight brewing and he was very aware that they couldn't risk it, not now. "I don't think we have a choice but to attack the Ranch." He tried his voice again, quietly, and it came out mostly clear. "The Desians did this as a challenge for us; they heard that we took down the Palmacosta Ranch and are practically taunting us with this. They must have guessed that we'd get to Luin eventually and left us this…gift." This was not a lie, Lloyd realized with a shutter: that was _exactly_ what Kvar had done.

Kratos, Raine, and Lloyd stayed up late into the night that swiftly set upon the ghost-village. Colette and Genis had attempted to do the same, but the young half-elf had soon fallen asleep and Colette could not find herself amused by theoretical planning and retreated to her blankets an hour after. Noishe sat between Lloyd and Kratos and each Aurion took comfort from their old friend's presence, though at the moment neither man noticed the other. The adults, Lloyd included himself in this number, all knew that their attempted foresight would most likely be rendered useless when facing the Ranch, yet it seemed to help their morale.

Lloyd did not sleep; instead, he lay awake listening to the slow breathing of Raine and Genis and the too-fast heartbeats of Colette and Kratos, both of whom were still awake with him. Toward morning, his stressed mind wandered away, perhaps to sleep, but he was jerked awake by Kratos who shook him back to the world of the waking at the crack of dawn. They ate a quiet breakfast in the weak morning light, and Lloyd could see that the others were just as nervous as he was. He watched Colette for a long moment: her hands shook as she raised the cold cheese and turkey sandwich to her mouth, only to place it back on her lap a moment later.

He turned slightly and caught sight of his father; the mercenary was refusing to eat. With a sudden sensation of guilt, Lloyd realized how emotionally tied Kratos was to this sudden turn of events. He had lost his wife to the same monster who had returned and destroyed her village a decade and a half later. Now he and his newly rediscovered son were going to storm his fortress. Kratos' concern was natural.

His eyes found Genis; the child was focused intently upon his breakfast, eating as though it may be his last, and Lloyd shuddered to think that it may indeed be his last. He was wired and jumpy, every little sound made him glance over his shoulder as if he expected an army upon them in moments. When none came, he blushed slightly and turned back to his food.

It was Raine that his eyes came to last, but unlike with the others, he found her difficult to read. Her eyes, while distant, didn't hold the same nervous fear that the others' did, and her face was pale but emotionless. This was one of Lloyd's favorite qualities about his old teacher: even in the face of gravest danger, the kind that even _Kratos_ had to show some emotion, but she kept her face calm and her hands still as she ate. Raine radiated confidence, and at the very least Genis seemed to be relaxed when with her.

The walk to the Ranch was just as silent as their meal had been. This, though, was partially due to their need for stealth. However, the lack of distracting conversation left Lloyd vulnerable to his worried thoughts. He was leading his friends into a deathtrap. It was not just Sheena that was in danger: Lloyd had no doubt that Kvar would strike out at any of his friends were he to get the chance. They had had Sheena before, their groups had been even; Raine, Colette, and Genis had taken to releasing the locks and Lloyd, Kratos, and Sheena had gone after Kvar. A simple and intelligent strategy, but one they had employed on their _second_ attempt at the Ranch.

His blood ran cold: Kvar was _expecting_ them; he would try to separate the group, lure them away and murder them. He would not let them get away the first time, as he had in Lloyd's memories. Lloyd struggled to come up with some sort of plan, anything that he could fall back on, but his mind was frozen with terror at the thought of facing down the very reason he had come as far as he had and his steps faltered.

_No,_ he thought sadly, _a plan won't work. Take it as it comes. If Kvar _does_ separate you, at least find him and slit his throat._

It was sick, but the idea of murdering Kvar and returning to his home and time was an absolutely _wonderful_ thought at the moment. Memories of things that he had failed to lead his friends to in his rush to reach Luin flickered through his overworked mind. Lake Umacy, seeing Sheena playing with children, returning back to Asgard and simply finding they had some downtime. These things had all been passed by in Lloyd's rush to his own death. Perhaps this was one of the curses of knowing the future: ignoring the present in favor of what was to come.

All the same, he was here now. He had no choice but to walk forward.

Lloyd had been in and out of Ranches, in his time the Iselia Ranch and the Remote Island Human Ranch still stood and he sometimes was forced to return when looking for exspheres to rid the planet of, but he had forgotten just how truly _vile _the Asgard Ranch was. The smells of sickness and death rolled off it in nauseating waves. The walls were high, but screams and sobbing could still be heard echoing over the them. It was buried deep in a forest several miles north of Luin, but Lloyd was shocked that the city was still able to stand when something so disgusting stood so close.

The group crouched in the bushes, debating for several long minutes about the best course of action. Lloyd was all for simply bursting in through the front gate and murdering anyone who got in their paths, but Raine and Kratos had shot that plan down as soon as Lloyd had opened his mouth. It had been decided that, as they had done in Lloyd's memories, they would ambush a patrol and dress as Desians. However, the first patrol that came upon them did not attack.

"Well, well," scoffed one Desian, "I do believe these are the inferior beings Lord Kvar had wanted us to bring to him." These words caused even the charging group to falter in their race to kill them. "You look like you want inside," the head of the patrol, an elderly half-elf, continued, "come with us and we'll give you the tour." He chuckled at the looks of horror and disbelief that must have made their way across the faces of the group members. "Oh, don't worry; we've got orders not to hurt a single hair on your undeserving heads. Come quietly and we'll take you strait up to Lord Kvar. He even said to let you keep your weapons."

Kratos looked utterly disbelieving, and rightly so for he knew Kvar best by far; these were strange orders, even for the insane, homicidal monster that Kvar was. It was Raine who made the final call, she nodded slowly and stepped forward, "You give your oath that you'll lead us to Kvar and nowhere else?" She sounded so commanding, Lloyd was shocked the Desians didn't drop dead under that icy gaze. They only laughed.

"Lady," scoffed one of the Desians in the back of the group, her voice was cold and high, "if you learn anything at this Ranch, it's not to cross Lord Kvar. He wants ya', so that's where you'll go."

Raine looked back around at the other members of the group, her eyes silently telling them that as soon as they saw an opportunity, they would attack and begin their siege, but for now, these Desians were their way in. None of them liked it, but Kratos gave a quick, curt nod and Raine turned slowly back to the patrol. "Very well, take us to Kvar."

The inside of the Ranch was many thousands of times worse than the outside: the smell was stronger, and now that Lloyd could see what was causing it, he wished he had not eaten that morning. Prisoners, working in their own blood and sweat, pushed blocks across the front yard aimlessly, building nothing. Some had worse jobs, however, these were forced to carry out the dead and throw them into large, open graves from which the stench arose. The day was cold and windy, not hot and still, the smell shouldn't have carried so, but it permeated every part of Lloyd's existence, and he gagged. The Desians around him laughed, causing some of the prisoners to look up. Their eyes were dead, full of knowledge that soon they too would be thrown by their comrades into their grave.

The yard was also filled with many other Desians, most wielding whips and swords with which to punish the humans. They moved in closer to eye Lloyd's group, but were chased off by the original patrol of five. They wanted to be the only ones to take the group to Kvar. It was they who had caught the Chosen's Group, and they alone would take the credit. This earned angry booing from the assembled half-elves, but the group soon left it behind as they entered one of the larger compounds. The door slammed shut behind them and Lloyd's eyes adjusted slowly to the lack of light and he found himself in a dimly lit hall, it was cold and smelled of disinfectants, as if blood were often spilled here, but inside they tried to wash it away.

It was just the ten of them now, and Lloyd was waiting to see Raine or Kratos give a signal to attack. It did not come until they reached the open area of the exsphere collection room. It was far from empty of other Desians, but the whirring of machines would block out the sounds of their scuffle for the moment. The Desians found themselves as no match for the wrath of the Chosen's Group and they fell in seconds, but it was not long before others fell upon them.

Lloyd caught the short sword of one man between his own blades and knocked it away, but as soon as he had managed this, another came from behind and Lloyd was forced to spin and knock this man in the stomach with his heel. The group had attacked without any sort of plan, there had been no time to discuss a plan of any sort, and they were quickly separated as more Desian soldiers were called in. Unhindered by the presence of his friends, Lloyd felt no worries in calling upon his angelic powers to destroy the bastards that attacked him. His arms were a blur as he slashed right and left, long unused techs sent half-a-dozen men stumbling backward with huge, bloody gashes in their armor.

Soon, too soon, Lloyd found himself alone in a sea of bodies, the electrical lighting overhead cast an eerie yellow light of the pale and bloodstained around him. In another room and saw an explosion of mana that must have been one of Genis' spells across the conveyor belts and lines of the room. For a long moment he debated, go after his friends or chase down Kvar? Before he had consciously made up his mind, Lloyd's feet were taking him in the direction of Kvar's personal offices. The warp would be unlocked, Kvar would be waiting for him.

It was time to get some answers and perhaps, _perhaps_, destroy his enemy and finally go home.

…

_Like you didn't expect a cliffie! Man it's good to be back. I'll try to come out with a new chapter in the next two weeks or so, and with luck we'll take this baby far over the summer months. Thanks for waiting around while I got through real life. Every review and kind word I've gotten created a huge incentive for me to come back to this story, I won't fail! This little bugger'll find itself finished eventually._

_R&R_

_~Yoshi_


	23. Chapter 23

_Part two of the Kvar Conflict…or whatever I'm calling this._

_Life's been a little hectic for me, otherwise I would have gotten this out a week ago. Unfortunately for my writing, however, my family decided to take a trip to South Dakota during the long weekend, so I lacked computer access for five days. Then my birthday came along (I'm old…) and I with it came a traumatic little experience where my cat, Pooh, decided she'd disappear overnight leaving my family panicked. She showed up the next day, but I was so stressed I didn't do a lot of writing. So, blame circumstance, but your patience is rewarded with EXPLANATION! Bet you're ready for a little of that, aren't you?_

_I'd also like to address one review that asked about my comment on the Remote Island Human Ranch and how it was more-or-less destroyed. I figure that the Renegades would have had to drain a large portion of it in order to properly control the mana cannon, and it would thus be at least standing enough that Lloyd could have entered it._

…

The room went from dark to light in too little time for Lloyd's pupils to keep up and he was blinded for too long. He felt a sudden, sharp pressure in the back of his knees and they gave out, sending him toppling to the ground. His head hit the floor, sending stars to his already burning eyes and he groaned. Moments before he had been the picture of alert, but in seconds, he had lost all sense of where he was—even his purpose had slipped his battered mind. Lloyd forced himself to sit up and slowly a shadowy image appeared before him.

Kvar was not a tall man, in fact, the top of his head came only to Lloyd's shoulder, yet his shadow stretched across the room, the darkness laying over Lloyd. The light was behind Kvar, and Lloyd could not see his enemy's face, but he had no doubt a devious and almost pleasant smile would have those pale, thin lips twisted upward.

His voice came smooth and degrading to Lloyd's ears, "Well, it seems we meet once again, Lloyd." He laughed, his voice like grease. "You and your friends certainly are wreaking havoc on my Ranch, and, as last time, you picked just the right moment to come in! The Renegades are running around as well—I'd forgotten how refreshingly_ annoying_ Botta was. I really have missed him. I was always disappointed that it was Rodyle and not myself who finally managed to get rid of him." Kvar sighed melodramatically, "Then again, Rodyle never _was_ deserving of any of his self-given titles."

"He lasted longer than you did," Lloyd spat. His mind was reeling with questions, questions that he had been wanting answered since he had taken this trip back in time. How was Kvar alive when they had killed him last time? How had he managed time travel, something that Lloyd had trouble mastering despite his control of the Eternal Sword? These and many other questions occupied the forefront of Lloyd's mind.

Kvar laughed, "Oh Lloyd, I'd forgotten how charming your ignorance is. My dear boy, do you really think something as…_mundane_ as a sword would be my undoing? As wrathful as your dear father is—and rightfully so, I may add—I really had planned on lasting a mite longer. No, no, I made it out of that disaster alive, but in a bit of a disgrace, I must admit."

He chuckled again, as if they were having a happy conversation over coffee. "I decided it would be best to think my plans over, but before I could enact my revenge, you saved the world from Master Yggdrasill. I have to say, I'm _very_ impressed with that, who would have thought a rag-tag group of "heroes" would do as much as you did! And yet here we stand." He was answering Lloyd's questions as if he could read Lloyd's mind. The idea was completely horrifying.

"…how'd you manage to come back in time?" Lloyd asked at last, forcing himself to his feet and eyeing the Desian with a cross of curiosity and hatred. Something whispered to Lloyd that knowing was _vitally_ important, though he was not sure to what ends this would help to reach.

"Oh my dear Lloyd, if I told you, it would take away the _mystery,_ now wouldn't it?" Kvar was still just a dark shadow against the blinding white light around him. "This game is far too dull without a little extra mystery, don't you agree?"

"_Game?_ You call this a _game?"_ Lloyd cried, horrified, "You've _destroyed_ three villages, murdered the entire population of Palmacosta, and you call this a _game?"_

"Hmm," he mused, "I suppose there is always that, and game does seem like a rather _casual_ term for such a showdown, but I cannot think of a better term for it. Have you anything?"

"_Unbelievable,"_ Lloyd only just stopped himself from shouting, "you cause so much damage, and you just blow it off like nothing! If you change the timeline, do you _know_ what it could do to the future!" Kvar was laughing again. This spoke clearer than any words could have. Ofcourse he knew the consequences, but he did not care! If millions died, if the words weren't reunited, if his plans went according to his wishes, Kvar would have his revenge, and spend the rest of his days swimming in the rivers of blood that he intended to make.

The thought made Lloyd gag.

"I suppose," Kvar changed the subject, "you'd like to see your dear friend Ms. Fujibiyashi? She's this way, if you are curious…" At last he stepped away from the light and Lloyd, by putting a hand to his forehead and squinting, could finally make out the pale, pasty features of Kvar's smiling face.

Yet the Grand Cardinal was moving, and he turned his back on Lloyd and made his way into the darker corners of the room. Lloyd, knowing that somewhere Sheena was out there, and having little alternate choice than to follow, fell in behind his enemy. "She was quite hesitant to come with us at first, the poor dear was bravely defending Luin from its attackers, but we soon convinced her that she was best coming with us."

"You didn't do anything to her, right?" Lloyd asked, trying to keep the bubbling panic down at the thought of what the Desian overlord could have done to his friend. "In your note you said she wouldn't be hurt…"

"No, no, Lloyd, I said that she was _alive and well,_ if I remember my writing correctly. And, unfortunately for your sake, I find that a good, strong human can withstand a great deal." There was a table on the other side of the room, a cold, surgical table, and on it laid the pale, dark-haired Sheena. The ninja was covered in lacerations, most of them terrifyingly fresh; it was like some terrible, twisting tattoo, colored blood red that spun from dark slashes across her cheeks and forehead down her neck and over her arms and chest.

Someone, and Lloyd shuddered to think who, had changed her out of her usual clothing and into a white gown, the kind used for surgeries. It was stained with the blood of the victim below it. She was pale, and for a panicked moment, he was convinced she was dead and Kvar had been lying, but his angelic hearing caught the sound of her shallow breath, and with it, Lloyd released his own held breath.

As his eyes traveled over her mangled mess of body and he took note of her mana signature, he was thankful to see that at least Kvar had only tortured her and not began to grow an exsphere on her. That would have been far more dangerous—but it was only a small victory.

"…why the hell would you do this to her?" Lloyd asked softly, his voice coming out hoarsely. "She didn't do _anything,_ none of the people you've done this to have!"

Kvar smiled indulgently. "Oh dear Lloyd, why do you save people, just because someone is innocent of one sin does not mean they are guiltless. You save them, they sin again. No, I—and I will shamelessly admit it—simply enjoy the pain of others. I doubt this comes as any surprise."

While Lloyd had always known that Kvar was cruel, this outright admission was not something he had expected. It threw him for a moment. "…sadistic bastard…" he muttered.

Suddenly a shadow ghosted across the Desian's face, darkening his already dark eyes and transforming his features grotesquely, but his voice was light when he spoke again. "I had assumed you already knew that from the very fact that I traversed time to gain my revenge on the world. Pain is…satisfying." And with those words, he slipped a knife into Lloyd's shoulder.

Lloyd felt his arm stiffen as the knife cut through tissue, muscle, and buried itself in bone. He made a face of pain more out of habit than real feeling. This was what his angelic form was made for—battles where the enemy was using man-made weapons. He tried to move his fingers and found them unwilling to respond, so he spun with his left, unhurt, arm and landed a heavy blow on the side of Kvar's face. As the Desian stumbled back, not having expected Lloyd to react so quickly, Lloyd tugged the knife out of his shoulder and threw it to the ground several yards away. It would be no help for the Desian now.

He pulled one of his swords from its sheath and began to advance on Kvar; Lloyd had no doubt that he looked as terrifying as Kvar had to him. "You _bastard,"_ Lloyd growled, "you put thousands of lives in danger, you put the _future_ in danger, all because of your own selfish want for revenge! I won't let you destroy everything just because you think half-elves have been treated wrong. The world I worked for was a world for them too, and—"

"Foolish child," Kvar snapped, real anger showing through his voice now, but, much to Lloyd's increasing horror, amusement played a larger role, "you think this is about my want for half-elven _rights?_ No, that quest died with Yggdrasill. I want something much simpler. I want the world to understand pain, and having to endure, as I did. Yggdrasill betrayed the half elves when he chose his sister over us, and the other Desians aren't blind; we know we are being used.

"It was easy to convince Rodyle and Magnius onto my side and with them came hundreds of soldiers. Imagine the kind of damage I can do with those men… I'd ask you to join us, you are after all, a half-breed, like us, but you're far too righteous and my revenge just wouldn't be complete without your end."

"You won't be able to do _any_ damage if I kill you!" Lloyd shouted and lunged at him, but at the same moment, almost as if he had been expecting it, Kvar let loose a torrent of lightning that ripped through Lloyd's body and sent him staggering to his knees. His arms shook and his sword clattered to the ground beside, only to have it kicked away by Kvar.

"Silly boy," he scolded lightly, "you cannot honestly expect to win, can you?"

Lloyd gasped out several expletives detailing exactly what he thought of the Grand Cardinal, but this gained only quiet, amused laughter. He tried to lunge again, pulling out a knife that he kept hidden on his person and slashed at Kvar's leg, slicing his pants and creating a deep cut in his lower leg. Kvar hissed softly above him and kicked out at Lloyd with his uninjured leg, sending him tumbling several feet away. A bruise already felt like it was forming on Lloyd's chest, where the steel toe of Kvar's boot had met flesh.

Eyes darted around to find his lost sword, but it was far from him. He clumsily pulled his right-handed sword out of the left sheath, his movements awkward as the sword did not feel right in his hand. Lloyd forced himself to his feet, but this time waited for Kvar to make the first move, watching him with narrowed auburn eyes.

"Perhaps you _do_ have a few cells in the gray matter you call a brain," Kvar almost seemed to be _teasing_ him, "I had always assumed that, like your father, they had all died from being hit on the head so many times…" It was weak and almost childish, but Lloyd didn't let his guard down. He was slowly but surely catching onto the game Kvar was playing with him; one moment he would attack and the next he'd tease Lloyd and distract him long enough to land another blow. Kvar was strong where magic was involved, but Lloyd was younger and faster. He just had to know when to hit.

Kvar seemed to grow annoyed as the next moment he let off a series of minor electric explosions that Lloyd dodged without grace, but, for the first time, Kvar's hits did not land. As the last of the lightning was clearing up, Lloyd charged forward, trying to measure his movements, decide if Kvar would have enough time to counter his attack. Lloyd was lucky, he knew it, but his sword met Kvar's armored chest and he broke through the metal, splattering blood across the floor and sending the Desian stumbling into a wall.

"Clever boy," Kvar hissed, "but not paying attention!" More lightning rained down on him, sending Lloyd stumbling backward, trying to escape, but he couldn't seem to find an end to the pain. He moved blindly, feeling his skin sear with the heat of the mana around him. Falling to his knees, Lloyd felt the world give way and he slumped fully to the ground. He was failing. He couldn't lay a hand on Kvar, he was too strong…

Somewhere very deep in the back of Lloyd's mind, he heard the sounds of struggle before the pain cleared. His muscles continued to spasm from the after-effects of the lightning, but no more fell. Lloyd forced his eyes open a crack and managed to catch sight of Kvar's face, the Desian had fallen and was glaring hatefully up at whatever had caused the fall and prematurely ended his attack on Lloyd. Attempting to twist his head 'round to see who it was that had saved him, Lloyd met with resistance, the muscles in his neck protesting loudly. Lloyd flinched involuntarily, though he felt no pain.

Luckily, his unasked question was answered a moment later, when his savior spoke from behind. "Get away from the boy, Kvar." Kratos' voice dripped with fury; Lloyd could picture clearly the look that would be written across his face, the anger burning in his eyes and the horribly blank expression that would hide all other emotion.

"Kratos, how good of you to join us." All semblance of humor had left Kvar's face now, he glared hatefully up at the Seraph. "But you really are interrupting something." Cold laughter echoed around the room, making Lloyd's blood chill. Kratos was moving behind him, and for a laughable moment, Lloyd imagined the punishment his father would put him through if they made it out of the Ranch alive. The sound of Kratos' sword moving against his armor signified his position behind Lloyd and a moment later, he felt his father's hands hoisting him from the ground to stand shakily.

Kvar forced himself to his feet as well. He was, Lloyd was beginning to realize, very old and very magically powerful—especially when he considered that the only logical way that Kvar could have come to the past was if he had somehow managed to harness the power of time without the Eternal Sword—but he was also frail. His defense was offense. As long as he could stop Lloyd before he reached him, he could not be beaten. If Lloyd had gotten so much as one lucky hit, he might have been capable of winning…

Lloyd's mind was spinning; he had taken heavy damage and was forced to lean against his father. Kratos was talking again, "What you have done is unacceptable," Kratos hissed at the Desian, "and you will meet an end worthy of your sins."

These words sent Kvar howling with bitter laughter and he eyed Kratos coldly. "We all meet our ends, Master Aurion, but mine will not come today." These words must have been a signal, for warps, hidden unseen in the shadows of the room, lit and through them stormed dozens of Desians, all armed and strong, unlike Lloyd.

"Goodbye Kratos, goodbye Lloyd, I suppose we will have to finish our conversation on a different day. Until then…or perhaps not!"

"Da—Kratos," Lloyd choked on Kratos' name, "w-what'll we do…?" Grievously outnumbered, and with Sheena still lying unconscious on the other side of the room, Lloyd doubted even his father could get them all out of this.

Lloyd had failed. He had taken on Kvar alone and proven himself utterly useless against his opponent—his very reason for returning. Now he doubted he would even make it out alive. Thoughts of what would happen and what would never happen flew through his mind. Mithos, Colette, Raine, Zelos, his friends would never meet, the world would never be saved. And it was all because he had been stupid enough to chase after Kvar alone.

…

_Sorry for a shorter chapter again, but next time we'll conclude Kvar._

_R&R_

_~Yoshi_


	24. Chapter 24

_This is the last in the Kvar-Chronicles._

_Finally things are setting down for the summer, so I figured I'd squeeze this out before I was caught up in something else. You know, the life of a fan fiction author is _so_ demanding. In the meantime, I'm going to mourn the loss of my new favorite character to write: Kvar._

_But, without further ado, here's the chapter!_

…

Lloyd dug through the pack that Kratos had dropped at his side, digging out several apple and orange gels. He bit into an orange gel and swallowed it, gagging slightly at the texture, which was both slimy and thick simultaneously. Then he grabbed the apple gel and did the same with it, but unlike the former, which he set aside, he pulled off his bloody red glove and dipped his fingers into the almost salve-like inside of the morsel and spread it over the bloody gash in his shoulder. He felt relief spread through the wound like cold water on a burn watched carefully for a moment as the bleeding subsided. As he proceeded to do the same to the rest of his burning wounds, he felt his head clear as the medicine worked and he forced himself to his feet next to his father.

Kratos looked beyond angry now, not that one could have told by any other portal than his eyes. Both were bright with fury, but the rest of his face was smooth and impassive. Lloyd watched his gloved hand wrap around the hilt of his sword and wished desperately for his own blades, but they were somewhere underfoot of the Desian troops around them.

"Are you strong enough," Kratos asked in a hissed whisper, "to guard me while I cast? Mass magic is our best bet, as I cannot take down this many by sword alone, and you are in no state to hold up for the fight."

Lloyd gulped as he looked around at what were surely several dozen half-elven soldiers, who all seemed to be waiting for some signal to attack. It was daunting simply because they had yet to attack, but what was worse was the glint of cold steel in the red alarm lights that had started soon after Kvar had vanished. Lloyd breathed an affirmative and balled his fists, knowing that he had all of a minute of strength in hand-to-hand combat. With luck, he would be able to take a sword and buy himself a few more minutes.

As if an invisible signal had been given, the first wave of Desian soldiers rushed toward them and Kratos began chanting at once as Lloyd slammed his elbow into the jaw of the first soldier to reach him. He toppled to the floor and Lloyd tugged the blade from his fingers, turning to the never-ending mass of men running at him. His sword cut messily through the shoulder of the next man, slicing bluntly through leather armor. He kicked him back, sending him stumbling away and tripping the unlucky soldiers behind him as he went.

Lloyd spun to lash out at one soldier who had attempted to kill Kratos while Lloyd has been distracted elsewhere and the brute strength of the swing cut through armor into flesh and stomach with a disgusting squelching sound and he tumbled to the ground. From behind, Lloyd heard his father muttering very softly, but Lloyd managed to catch the words in between the howls of the Desians falling before him. "Sacred Powers…" Kratos practically mouthed, "cast thy purifying lights upon these corrupt souls…"

His father was casting Judgment. Lloyd wondered at the choice; it was a slow spell, but by far more massively powerful than Thunder Blade or Grave. Yet at the same time, if Lloyd asked, he could completely blow his father's cover. His ponderings were forced to cease for a moment as he slipped around Kratos to cut into the neck of another man who had attempted to take down the casting Seraph. Glancing at his father's face as he ruthlessly rammed his sword into the head of the next Desian approaching, Lloyd saw the emotions that Kratos had refused to show when he had control flickering across his face.

The spell stealing his focus and weakening his defenses, the weight of what Kratos was doing finally showed in his features. He was afraid: afraid for Lloyd's life, afraid of the decision he was making to save his son. This could easily have reminded Kratos of the night in front of the Iselia Human Ranch, when his wife had died and he had lost his son and oldest friend. And perhaps there was just a hint of fear for his own life. So Kratos stood and cast his spell, but when his eyes opened, every bit of emotion but the fury he felt toward his enemies was wiped from his features.

Pillars of light fell upon their Desian attackers, the bodies disintegrating, leaving nothing behind. Lloyd lost his vision in the blinding white lights and could only blink as the afterimages burned over the sights of the few remaining Desians racing away into the warp pads.

Father and son were left standing in the center of a blood-stained room, and even Kratos was panting at the force he had put behind the spell. Lloyd felt the sword clatter to the ground at his side as he slumped to his knees on the ground. His mind spun for a few moments as the light that blinded him began to subside. He realized his father was no longer beside him and, picking the short-sword he had stolen from a Desian soldier to use as a crutch, he hoisted himself up and when to where Kratos was standing over the injured Sheena's bed.

"…you knew he had her." It was a statement and Lloyd stiffened, despite all the pain it sent through his numbed body. "…may I ask how?" Now that the threat was gone, it seemed that even the efficient Kratos was going to act slowly.

Lloyd stuttered, not sure how to answer. The image of the note drawing water and slipping away into the lake under Luin flashed before his eyes. "I…there was a note. In Luin. Kvar…he wanted me here and used her as bait."

"Then," Kratos said softly, "the question changes to what he wanted and how he knew that you would come after the assassin. Simply because of her profession he couldn't have assumed the two of you were in any way companions. It makes me wonder at the idea of his having been watching us…" His father's musings neither gave hint at if they would continue to try to help Sheena or he suspected Lloyd of anything.

"…can I use a gel on her?" Lloyd questioned softly, glancing back across the room where Kratos' pack was half-trampled, but still whole. "I don't know how long she'll last like this…"

Contempt flitted across Kratos' face, and then it returned to impassiveness. "I doubt you'll have thought it a good idea when she attempts to kill us a second time." His words were scornful now and Lloyd opened and closed his mouth, fish-like, for a moment before half shouting at his father.

"You mean after all this we're just gonna _leave_ her here! If we do that, she'll end up just like Mom! Are you insane?" Lloyd instantly regretting mentioning his mother, as Kratos almost visibly flinched, but his eyes hardened against Lloyd.

"After everything she has done, she deserves it."

"I'm not gonna let her die!" Lloyd was furious, both at himself and at his father. He had come this far, he was not going to leave Sheena now, but he knew that shouting was no way to dissuade Kratos. The man was already convinced he was suffering from his injuries; the idea of wanting to save Sheena was, to his eyes, simply a delusion caused by blood loss.

Kratos' eyes were dark and had slipped back to their unreadable state as he surveyed his son. Lloyd could not be sure, but he thought he could sense his father's displeasure with his insistence to save Sheena. "This," Kratos almost sighed, "is neither the time nor place to be having this debate. More Desians could return soon, and it is not my job to rescue foolish assassins, but my _companions._ If you intend to save her, than by all means do. However, you can hardly expect me to help you. My hands will be full enough with getting the Chosen out safely, and I will not hesitate to end her life if she threatens any of our party."

"Fine!" Lloyd snapped angrily. "I'll carry her myself!"

Sheena was heavier than Lloyd had expected her to be and as he hoisted her off the table, he felt himself stumble, but caught his balance at the last minute and moved Sheena into a better place in his arms. Kratos watched wordlessly, his eyes following every weak misstep Lloyd took with the same unreadable expression written across his visage. Sheena groaned in pain in Lloyd's arms, but there was little the angel could do, as his own vision was beginning to swim.

He stumbled across the room, or so it felt to him as, in reality, he made it only a few steps before his knees buckled underneath him and Lloyd sunk into oblivion. Every part of him screamed against it and he felt Sheena's weight land atop him, only adding to the dull nothing that he was falling through. Lloyd slipped away.

…

Groaning, Lloyd opened his eyes to find himself lying on the floor in a cold hall, lined with simple metal, and Raine bending over him muttering, "He should be alright, Colette, calm down. He's only passed out from the blood loss. I'm more concerned about Sheena, honestly, for all the trouble Lloyd went through, I doubt she'll make it…" Raine's voice was carefully calm, as if she was not saying all that she knew for the sake of protecting Colette and Genis from a darker truth.

"Then," croaked Lloyd as he tried to sit up, "heal her, please…" His attempts to sit were met with resistance by Raine, who put both her hands on his chest and forced him to lie back down. "Raine…" he grumbled, but listened. His head had begun to spin again as soon as he'd moved, so laying, even on this painful, hard surface, sounded wonderful.

"Lloyd, it's more complicated than that…" Raine sounded rather angry at having to explain herself. "She's been…well, tortured. When she wakes—if at all—who knows the kind of mental trauma she could have."

"You'd want us to try and help you, right? We can't just let her _die;_ especially if there's even a little chance she'll make it out." He forced more confidence into his voice than he felt he hand into any other speech he had made. If they lost Sheena, there was no way the Journey could continue. "Please, Raine…"

"…I agree with Lloyd. We both decided to risk our lives to keep her from Kvar, we may as well waste more time and effort on her now that we've come this far." Despite harsh words, there was no doubt in Lloyd's mind that it was Kratos who had carried both he and Sheena from Kvar's torture chamber. He had as much invested in this as Lloyd did, and was not about to let her die now.

"I can see that I've no other choice," Raine said softly and turned to examine Sheena's body again. In the frigid white light of the Ranch's hall, she looked even worse. Pale from blood loss, deep red welts, burns, and open wounds laced down her face and over her arms, all making Lloyd cringe. A large chunk of raven-black hair had been cut away, though for what purpose Lloyd was uncertain, and the rest of her hair was matted with dirt and blood. One eye was swelled and black and her dry lips were split.

"Internal bleeding," Raine was murmuring now, "outer lacerations, most likely malnourished, heavy trauma to her head, at least four broken bones and I think her knee has been shattered…" With each added symptom, Lloyd's heart sank deeper toward his boots. Raine had no unicorn horn, no book of healing arts. In all likelihood, this was a cause beyond lost, and he was simply asking Raine to waste her mana, but he couldn't give up hope.

Colette, Genis, and Lloyd were all holding their breath, watching Raine run her staff over Sheena's unmoving form. It was fantastic to watch the lacerations heal instantly. Lloyd had always been too squeamish to watch his own healing, but now he couldn't keep his eyes off Sheena. The cuts slowly covered in scab and scar, the skin pinching together and healing. The quick healing alternative that Raine used had consequences, though. These scars would have to heal in their own time, if they healed at all, and Sheena's scars were not little pink lines, but deep gorges across her pale skin.

Pulling back, Raine gently tugged at Sheena's leg, trying to set the knee into place. "Kratos," she said quietly, yet her voice echoed around them in the silence, "hold her leg so it heals properly, please." The mercenary knelt beside Sheena and Raine and with surprisingly gentle hands bent her leg. Lloyd flinched when the ninja gasped in pain, but Kratos' hands were steady. Raine held her staff aloft and it glowed a cold silver light and, with Sheena still gasping and moaning in pain, Lloyd watched the bone heal. Kratos released her leg and it slid back into a more comfortable position, whole again.

"Now her ribs, I need to heal them as well before we try to move her again and they do more damage. I'm afraid to say that you should have left her where she was, if they have punctured her lungs, there's nothing more I can do for her." Kratos once again held Sheena straight as Raine held her staff and repeated the healing process. As she did so, the assassin's breath became less labored and she slumped deeper into her pained stupor.

"…what about the blood loss and stuff?" Lloyd asked, his voice shaking slightly. "Can we give her a gel or something?" He pushed himself up again, into a sitting position. His wounds stung and his body objected, but his head was clearer now and he blinked away the pain.

"If you want her to choke to death, then I would suggest doing as much. No, Lloyd, we'll have to see if she wakes up in order to feed her. In the meantime, we have to find the rest of the prisoners and get out of here before the Desians have time to regroup. We've been here for too long, we have to keep moving."

"Perhaps we should leave without the prisoners," Kratos suggested softly, "and return later, once we're healed. Perhaps we could pull together men from Asgard to assist us as well."

"We can't do that," Lloyd said too loudly, his voice bouncing off the walls and meshing together in his ears. "We leave now and we're not getting back in. If Kvar doesn't outright triple the security, he'll execute the prisoners and we won't have another chance. Knowing him, he's already _starting_ the execution. We have finish this _now."_ He had no hope of getting to Kvar again so soon. He had to hone his skills, prepare himself for what was to come, but he wouldn't let the people of Luin suffer any longer because he was too weak. It was time to deal the biggest blow that Lloyd could manage.

Raine looked ready to argue, as did Kratos, but neither opened their mouths as Lloyd forced himself to his feet. Despite the feeling that he was going to collapse, Lloyd stayed standing without the use of the wall for support. "Kratos, I'll carry Sheena and bring up the rear, you take point. We must have been half-way through the Ranch already, the prisoners can't be far away, the building isn't that big." With every passing moment, Lloyd felt himself rejuvenating. Perhaps it was Raine's healing mana, perhaps it was the gels, or perhaps is was simply force of will, but Lloyd scooped Sheena up into his arms and stepped aside so that Kratos could move to the front of the group.

They moved faster than Lloyd could have hoped. With Kratos leading, not only could no Desian hope to pass him, but Lloyd's father was subtly leading them in the correct direction. He sometimes took the longer route so as to properly confuse Raine, but at his direction, they reached the prison where the humans were kept. It was the smell that tipped Lloyd off before the sight; rancid and putrid, it was death personified. The perfume of Hell itself, laced with death and sickness. Lloyd choked, wishing he could stoop to retch, but with Sheena in his arms, he swallowed and held his breath.

Chains linked to large, vicious slave collars around their necks chained the prisoners together. Each was dressed in gray rags and all faces were cast downward. Looking around, Lloyd almost didn't want to ask what they had been put through that could have crushed them in so little time. Then, Lloyd noticed what he had not at first seen. There were no children among them. His heart leapt to his throat, choking him.

_They're in a different room, different cells…_ he tried to tell himself, but the faces of the prisoners told him how wrong he was.

Suddenly, a voice echoed over the intercom system. _"Well,"_ Kvar's crisp voice sent shivers of fear down his spine, but Lloyd was not the only one. Many of the prisoners dropped to their knees and some even screamed in terror. _"It seems that you've won. Making it all the way here with all limbs intact deserves a reward I think. You may take the lovely citizens of Luin and leave my Ranch unhindered. Oh, please don't thank me, really, I do it for the good of humankind."_ The intercom died and Lloyd was left shaking, staring up into nothing, wishing he could understand what Kvar wanted. They could leave. They could take the prisoners. They had _won._ But why would he let them go? What had he to gain?

"…come on, everyone!" Colette broke the thick silence that had enveloped the crowd. "He's going to let you go! We'll take you back to Luin!" She was so bizarrely cheerful, but that must have been what was needed.

Not a single prisoner moved. Some looked up with dead eyes, but most stayed slumped. Colette's smile began to falter, but she tried again. "Please, come with us! Come rebuild your city! Live you lives!" Her fists clenched, Colette took a step forward.

Finally, a dark-eyed man raised his head and glared at Colette. "You don't understand. There's nothing left. They took our children. They _slaughtered_ them. We couldn't protect our own; what have we left in the outside world?"

"Then bring back Luin in their memory!" Colette cried passionately. "Don't give up hope! When I—when the Chosen Regenerates the world, the Desians will go away and you'll be free to live your lives, don't give up now! Live!"

"The Chosen's dead…" whispered a voice from the back. "We heard the Desians talking. She died in the attack on Palmacosta…"

"T-that's not true!" Without, or so it seemed, stopping to think, Colette's wings burst forth from her back, sending shining pink light over the dirty, fallen faces. "I'm the Chosen, and I'm not going to let you give up on yourselves!"

A whisper stirred the crowds and several more looked up, then moved to shield their eyes from the sudden brightness in their dank hole. Murmurs of "_an angel"_ were echoed amongst them. Finally, a young woman stepped forward. "…you're right, Chosen One." She tried to walk over to where the group stood, but was hindered by the collar and chains. Those around her didn't move with her.

Then, hesitantly, more moved, and soon they were the majority, pulling the others forward.

…

_Did I just…end on a bright note? Well, I suppose I've got to do it sometime. _

_R&R_

_~Yoshi_


	25. Chapter 25

_Chapter 25._

_Another Temple Chapter, as much as I love these dungeons in-game, they're a pain to write…ah well, this is the last one for awhile, so I can at least be glad of that! Now, to business—I've heard a few people ask if this is the end of Kvar. Seeing as he's my main villain, no, he's not done with yet! We'll see plenty more of him, but he's got to play around behind-scenes for awhile._

_Thanks for your reviews, they make a very eager author, and enjoy the chapter!_

…

Luin was in shambles, its people had been injured and broken, and it was with painful, slow strides that Lloyd and the Chosen's Group pushed what was left of a once beautiful city down the continent. The Journey that had taken Lloyd and the others a matter of days took nearly a week. A few kind souls, the few left from Luin, helped push the party along as well. Asgard grudgingly took the refugees in, knowing how much they owed Raine for her heroics at the Dais several weeks beforehand.

They had filled the cheaper inns around the city with the injured and sick, and Raine worked tirelessly to restore their health. Lloyd wrote a letter to his father, begging the Dwarf to bring what he could to Asgard and make crests for the former prisoners. With Palmacosta destroyed, the mail would take at least two weeks to get all the way to Iselia, and Lloyd hoped to be gone from the city by then, but it would have been nice to see his adopted father again.

Lloyd was restless, after Raine had caught him falling asleep at Sheena's bedside; she had locked him out of the ninja's rooms. She was healing, but slowly. It was not until their third day in Asgard that she opened her wide, chocolate-brown eyes. She remembered nothing past Luin. She could recall being carried away by Desians, then her mind blanked and she woke up in Asgard. It was with choked words that Lloyd explained what had happened to her, and how it had been Kratos that had saved them both from Kvar.

"…sounds like I owe you a lot…" Sheena said at last, when Lloyd had finished explaining. "Why did you come after me like that? W-why…why would this Kvar guy think you'd come after me anyway? I've tried to _kill_ you! I don't see why he would think taking me…"

"He must have heard wrong, but…well, you're kind of conspicuous, you know?" Lloyd was just talking, the lies coming easier the longer he practiced them. "Besides, he'd taken the rest of Luin as a backup plan, so at the very least the note told us exactly where to find you and everybody else."

The ninja leaned back against her pillows; the scars from the lacerations still lined her face, shiny and pink with enhanced healing. She had not yet seen her face, but Lloyd had a terrible feeling that the once-pretty ninja would not have been acting so relaxed if she knew the extent of her injuries. No, Lloyd corrected himself angrily, she was _still_ pretty. Her raven hair still fell gracefully around wide, brown eyes set into a pretty face. There were just scars marring it now.

And it was his fault.

Sheena continued her musings, but Lloyd only nodded and made vague noises of interest. That was until she asked the question that Lloyd himself had been pondering. "So, what are you going to do now then?" She blinked at him, waiting for an answer that Lloyd wasn't sure of himself.

Lloyd sighed and ran a hand though his hair, a habit he had picked up from his father. "To be honest, I don't know. Colette's the Chosen, so she's the one who should really be making all the decisions. I want to…" Lloyd broke off. What _did_ he want? Much of him wanted to return to the Ranch with his full power and wipe Kvar off the face of the planet. The logical part of him, however, realized how suicidal this move would be. He had only survived because of Kratos last time, and because Kvar wanted to keep their "game" going. And if there was one thing Lloyd was sure of, it was that Kvar would be gaining more power, enough that Lloyd would have to outdo himself training and preparing if he hoped to survive their next encounter.

"…to be honest, I don't know what I want to do. But…logically…" Lloyd swallowed, "we need to release the rest of the seals and regenerate the world. If we do that, the Desian bastards like Kvar will be wiped out and we can live in peace. But that also means you're going to be coming after us again, doesn't it?" He watched the struggle behind Sheena's eyes, trying to keep his real emotions off his face. Interest, he decided, and concern, and friendliness: those were the best emotions to focus on.

"…I'm in the same boat as you…" she said at last. "I owe you guys my life, and Sylvarant _deserves_ to be saved, but… Can't you understand that, even if I can't tell you, I really do have a good reason for trying to stop the Regeneration? Please, believe me…"

Lloyd stood up, finally letting all the false emotions slide from his face and revealed the true exhaustion beneath. "…I wanna trust you Sheena, and I think you're a good person, but Colette's my friend too. All of us, Kratos, Raine, Genis, and I, we'll fight to the death to keep her alive. And if you got to know her, I think you'd feel the same."

…

In the following five days, two vital decisions were made. Colette had been prodded, influenced, and all but manipulated into continuing onto what they believed was the next seal. She had been determined to help the people of Luin rebuild, but Kratos, Lloyd, and Raine had all been very vocal in their disagreement. Finally, the Chosen had agreed that this was the safest course of action. The other decision was one that Kratos and Raine both apposed, but was carried out anyway.

Sheena would be joining the party.

She had given her word on several occasions not to kill Colette, had been threatened by Kratos, Raine, and Genis in turn about what they would do to her if she so much as looked at the Chosen wrong, and finally welcomed warmly by Colette. In fact, if Lloyd did not know any better, he would actually have believed that both Colette and Sheena enjoyed having a female around their age to talk with. Lloyd couldn't help but find the conversations that they had not only long and monotonous, but also strangely amusing to listen to. They spoke of everything from fashion to pets—Colette adored Corrine.

The ninja hadn't exactly been herself, however, since she had looked in the mirror the day before. Seeing the scars that ruined her visage had made her suddenly awkward and shy. She had developed a habit of not looking anyone in the face, always casting her eyes downward to draw attention away from her face. All of her things had been taken by Kvar, so the group had pooled money and gotten her new clothes and supplies, which she was embarrassingly grateful for.

The morning that they were planning on leaving, Lloyd woke and opened his door to find an old-fashioned key and a note. It made Lloyd's heart jump, remembering the last note he had gotten, was relieved to find it simply said:

_Heard about your plans and assumed you would appreciate this._

_-Y._

So, Yuan really _was_ looking out for him. Despite his relief at finding the key, his heart skipped a few beats and his gut twisted guiltily. Clara should have dropped the key in Hima, as he recalled.But she was dead. Perhaps worse was the thought of Hima. Pietro, a Ranch escapee that had helped the Chosen's group on their second attempt to sneak into the Asgard Ranch, was nearly brain-dead and it had taken all of Raine's healing abilities to save him last time.

Lloyd had completely forgotten about them. The guilt was getting worse and worse. Lloyd forced himself to push it from his mind and joined the others downstairs for breakfast. He produced the key, only to have it snatched away by an excited Raine. When Kratos questioned him on where he had gotten it, Lloyd said it had been dropped off that morning by a child, saying he had spread the word that the Chosen's group was looking for the key to the Tower of Mana. The citizens had delivered, he claimed.

Kratos sighed and shook his head, but asked nothing more. Another of Lloyd's lies had passed.

Their trek up the continent was slow and dragging. Sheena lacked stamina after her brush with death, and had to stop and rest every few hours. They were all tired and frustrated by what had happened at the Ranch, leaving them short of words and temper. At the end of their sixth day in the wilderness, having avoided the remains of Luin, the group found themselves standing before the towering structure that was the Tower of Mana.

At sunset, the sun aligned with the Tower, making it look as though it was glowing with golden-red light. The Tower was made of a brick that Lloyd had never seen used in any other building. They were red, and seemed to absorb the light. The structure itself was massive, at least a hundred stories high; it left even Sheena in awe.

"…this is another amazing example of the ingenuity of the ancients. This building is pre-Kharlan War if I'm not mistaken," Raines words were hushed, even her ruin mania was subdued. "It is in almost perfect condition. Besides the Tower of Salvation, it is the tallest structure in the world. Some say it was built to give praise to the Tower, but it was closed centuries ago due to the appearance of monsters after the Regeneration failed. It has only one key…?" The Professor looked down at the ancient bronze key in her hands.

"…it would probably be wisest to rest the night before we brave the Tower," Kratos said reasonably. "However, as we are perhaps more hated by the Desians than ever, it may be in our best interests to risk sleeping inside the first chambers of the Tower, yes?"

Raine nodded and walked forward over the mosaic that was the floor; it was faded from time, but still held a whisper of its former splendor. With some effort, Raine was able to get the key into the lock and release the door. Kratos and Lloyd shoved the huge doors open and the young angel stared into the dark confines of the Tower of Mana.

Looking back, Lloyd realized that the amount of books that were held in the lowest floors of the Tower of Mana's library was utterly and completely beyond his comprehension. Layers of bookshelves spread out in every direction, each holding thousands of pages of knowledge and history in every language imaginable and many that had been dead for thousands of years.

"…I had heard rumors," Raine murmured, her eyes wide and shining, "but never that there were so _many…"_

Those words seemed to sum up each of their thoughts as they stepped into the largest library in three worlds. Surely not even Derris-Kharlan could hold so much information. As he reached out and pulled a book from its place on the shelf, dust billowing everywhere, a sudden moment of inspiration came to him. He could put at least _some_ of his mistakes right if he played this properly. Pietro would need Raine's advanced healing techniques to heal him, and there was no way that Raine would pass up the chance to learn how to become a more proficient healer.

Casually, Lloyd made his way over to Raine, who was flipping through a thick volume, and began, "You know, I heard one of the doctors in Asgard saying something about some Bolzum's book or something… Said it was full of healing techniques."

"Boltzmann's book?" Raine glanced side-long at Lloyd, her blue eyes twinkling at the thought of finding the book for herself. "…that is the kind of power that could heal those afflicted by exspheres…"

"And Colette," Lloyd added, without thinking.

"…what?" Raine looked at him sharply, her eyes searching. "Is something _wrong_ with Colette?"

Lloyd panicked. The last time they had been after the book, the group had known all about Colette's inability to eat and feel, but he and Kvar had changed everything that had happened at the Asgard Ranch and, thus, Lloyd had not told the group about what ailed Colette.

"I-I…" Lloyd gaped like a fish. "Shh…" he said at last. "I can't believe I said that…she didn't want you guys to know." His thoughts were too scattered to lie properly.

"Lloyd Irving," Raine growled, but to her credit, she did it quietly, "tell me _everything."_

As professor and student made their way farther from the group, searching for the book, Lloyd explained quietly about how Colette had been keeping her lack of humanity hidden from the rest of the group so as not to worry them. She had good intentions, but, as always, she was too selfless.

"Hmm…" Raine mused softly. "…as much as she won't like it, we need to tell the others. If she cannot eat, we should not make that more difficult. It isn't as if this Journey isn't difficult enough for her as it is. We don't need to tempt her and made avoiding food that much more complicated. And sleeping as well. And we'll need to be quieter to adjust for her hearing…"

"You knew something like this was happening," Lloyd said matter-of-factly. "All along, you suspected from the way she was acting that she was changing."

"After her wings appeared in the Temple of Fire and Remiel said she would receive more angelic "blessings", I suspected that they were perhaps not all so obvious as wings and haloes, as Genis seemed to think. And for her to have lost one to gain the other is not the least surprising." Lloyd felt himself relax, this was the Raine that he knew—the one that had guessed more than she had said. At the same time, however, he wondered how much she guessed about _him._ "I didn't want to make any of my guesses general knowledge, at least Genis would have overreacted and done something foolish. I'm wondering how you found these things out."

"…I guessed and confronted her about it. When she started eating all those green peppers that Kratos put in that soup he made. I asked her about it and…well, you know how badly she lies when you call her out." Or that was how it had happened last time, at least.

"Yes," Raine said coolly, "she was never as good a liar as you are."

"W-what?"

"I don't know what is going on, or how many lies you've said that I _have_ believed, but something is going on that you haven't told us. Since…at the very least after we saved you from the Desians in Triet, perhaps before. You know Desians, you're acting more mature, and, don't deny it, you're stronger." It was exactly as Lloyd had feared, but how long Raine had waited to say anything about this worried him.

"R-Raine," he tried to begin, but the words didn't come. Still scattered, still tried, still worried over all of the mistakes he had made, he was only digging himself deeper into his hole. "Raine, you have to understand—"

"…you can't tell me," Raine said with a small sigh. "…I want to trust you. You are my pupil, and I've watched you grow up from a rash child to a more rash, but good, man. I will say nothing more, to you or any of the others, but I _will_ be watching."

His teacher pulled ahead of him and continued to run a finger over the dusty spines of tomes thousands of years older than them, looking for the book of healing spells. Lloyd couldn't help it, he felt relief. Raine hadn't pushed the subject, as Lloyd knew that he wouldn't have been able to hold up a single lie and would most likely have broken down completely and told her everything.

And what a disaster that would have been—if she had even believed him in the first place.

Finding the book did not take long after Raine had set the rest of the group searching for it as well. An hour, perhaps less, was spent digging through bookshelves until Colette called that she had found something. It was an ancient, leather bound volume with swirling gold lettering covering the front and spine. As the Professor took the book from the Chosen and opened it to page through, Lloyd saw that it was written in very, very old-style Common, the tongue of the humans.

Raine made an excited noise in the back of her throat, "This is it!" she cried. "Boltzmann's book! His studies _redefined_ the art of healing and I am holding his most famous works in my hands!" Raine's ruin-mode lasted well into the night, and Genis was the unlucky one who got to share watch with her. The young half-elf went grumbling all the way.

Lloyd was quite sure that he and Sheena were the only ones that slept that night: Kratos and Colette rarely slept, and Genis and Raine were on watch. All the same, the young angel couldn't help but nod off; the stress of the day, of the past weeks, was enough to tire any mind.

When they awoke the next day, Lloyd half-expected Raine to mention Colette and her discussions with Lloyd the day prior, but all she could speak of was her book, and the unicorn horn that was required to use most of the spells. She said nothing about it even as the group moved deeper into the Temple.

By the time they reached the Oracle Stone, Lloyd had all but put it out of his mind, knowing what was to come.

"The door didn't open!" Genis cried in anguish as, instead of the door at the far end of the small, inner chamber that the six had crowded into, three warp pads appeared. Lloyd glanced behind the group to where Sheena was watching quietly, trying desperately not to say something that would make her look like a fool to her new friends.

"…no, but perhaps it gave us something as good," Raine mused, all former excitement had vanished and been replaced with that cool demeanor that Lloyd admired. "Lloyd, Genis, stand on the glowing runes, please."

Lloyd paced over to the "glowing runes" with Genis, and Raine followed behind, stepping on the last of the warp pads and causing the door to open with the rumble and hiss of unused technology. Raine's eyes lit as she realized the trick, and stepped off, only to have the door reclose. "…it looks like three of us will have to stay behind. It's the trick of the Temple. Colette, you and two others will have to continue on toward the seal."

Put on the spot, Colette blinked and glanced between all of her friends. Lloyd was sure that every pair of eyes, including his own, was asking her to bring _them_ with her. Being Colette, she couldn't say no to any of her friends. "I-…I want Lloyd to come with me…" she said at last. "…and he can choose who else to bring…"

Now all eyes were on him, and, struggling to remember what had passed last time in the Tower of Mana, while trying to look relaxed, Lloyd began to sweat from nerves. "…well…" He also needed reasoning. It would be Raine or Kratos that came, as no one would let Sheena go with Colette… And to bring Genis would be out of the question—the adults would never allow it… "Kratos, why don't you come with us?"

Raine and Genis both looked almost angry, and very betrayed.

"Raine, you need to keep an eye on Sheena, no offence," he added the last to Sheena, who had turned red under her scars. "And I _can't_ bring you, Genis, 'cause it'd be really stupid to send a bunch of kids into the Temple. Raine, I _know_ you wouldn't let Kratos watch Genis and Sheena, so this is really the best way. Besides, Kratos is the strongest, and he can heal."

Raine was all but glaring, "How…astute." Lloyd's stomach plummeted: he had the most unfortunate feeling that he had just angered the person who was keeping some of his darkest secrets. At least he had pleased his father, and made the decision for Colette. And, as he recalled, this _was_ what had happened last time.

Lloyd, Kratos, and Colette disappeared through the door and up the stairs as Sheena took Lloyd's place standing on the runes. Between the nervous Colette and the ever-quiet Kratos, little conversation took place as they ascended the spiraling staircase toward the top of the Tower. Mysteriously, perhaps ominously, their path was without interruption; no monsters roamed the stairs, as Lloyd had thought there would be, and no puzzles blocked their way. Then again, the latter had not been present in his past experience either—the trick of the Tower of Mana was to split the group up and test their strength and skill in that way.

At the top of the first flight of stairs, there was another warp like those that Lloyd had left Raine, Genis, and Sheena with and, without consulting his comrades, Lloyd stepped on it. To the side, the image of Raine appeared and at the same moment that Lloyd spotted his teacher, Raine saw him. "L-Lloyd!" she blinked as if she was not sure he was really there. "You're—you must have found more of the runes, yes?"

"Yeah!"

"…Lloyd? Who are you talking to?" Colette asked from behind him. She couldn't see Raine as she was not on the pad herself. "The Professor's downstairs, remember?"

"Erm…" Lloyd glanced between the image of Raine and the Chosen beside him. "J-just a second, Raine…" Lloyd stepped off, and the Professor disappeared. "Stand on the warp, then you'll see her too…"

Colette did as she was told, and exclaimed in wonder as she, too, must have seen her teacher. "Hi Professor Sage!" she beamed at nothing. Colette paused, listening to something Raine was saying. "Sure! There's a couple buttons here…which one? …oh, okay, I'll ask him." The Chosen turned to Kratos, "Mr. Kratos, the Professor thinks if we push the right button the door will open for her, but I don't know which one, do you know?"

Kratos, who had been quietly listening to the conversation without emotion sighed softly and swept past Lloyd to examine the magitech buttons and levers. He spent a moment in contemplation, then reached out and activated one of the levers. "This should do it, I would imagine," he said quietly.

"Oh!" Colette cried, looking back at the invisible Raine. "That's great, Professor!" Turning back to her companions, Colette explained, "Another door opened, but when the others stepped off, the doors didn't close, so they're going to take the other door. The Professor thinks it's another way to reach the seal at the top. She says we should keep going as far as we can."

They did as Raine said, making their way up more twisting staircases until, finally, meeting the others. Sheena, Raine, and Genis looked as though they had met with only stairs during their ascension as well, and their stories proved as much. Reunited, the group made their way to the altar.

The wind was strong atop the Tower of Mana, and even Lloyd's hair was blown in every direction. Without being asked, Colette walked forward toward the altar; stumbling slightly over the rough stones that made the floor in her haste.

As it had happened at the other seals, there was a welling of mana and out of the altar came what, to Lloyd, looked like the legendary Pegasus. It looked much like the Unicorn that was hidden beneath Lake Umacy, but it was several times larger and striped with dark purple and deep gold. Its horn was sharp and coated in white quartz, as were its hooves. The Iubaris reared onto its hind legs and glared down at them with black, pitiless eyes.

"Back!" shouted Kratos. "It's going to charge us!" The angel grabbed Colette's arm and pulled her out of the way, leaving the rest to scatter to the sides on their own. The Iubaris charged at them, missing Sheena by inches at the ninja threw herself out of the way. Lloyd stumbled, then caught himself and swung 'round to pull out both swords and attack its hind flank. Unlike the other monsters they had fought to this point, the Iubaris had no armor to protect itself from his blades and it screamed in pain.

It bucked its hind legs and Lloyd caught both hooves in his chest and he was sent flying backwards, falling head over heels down the stairs and back toward the warp. He coughed and spat out blood, for a moment thinking that he had broken something, but he sat up groaning and gently poked his side. He was breathless, but, shockingly, only bruised.

He heard shouts from above and a moment later, Raine hurried down the stairs to Lloyd's side. "Are you alright?" she cried and knelt by his side, already trying to heal his bruises.

"Y-yeah. Gods that was stupid…" He forced himself to his feet and, keeping himself standing with his swords, tried to run back up the stairs and rejoin the battle. He heard Sheena cry out and Kratos shout something angrily.

"No," Raine barred his way with her staff. "Lloyd Irving, you are in _no_ shape to go running off—"

"Baby me tonight, _please?_ The others need my help!"

Raine's eyes were hard and determined until she heard her brother shout and a large crash from above. "…go."

"Thank you!" Lloyd called over his shoulder as he charged back up the stairs and found himself looking over a real battle field. Kratos was hoisting an unconscious Sheena out of the way while Colette fluttered in front of the Iubaris' nose, trying to distract it. Genis was crouching behind the altar, trying to charge his spells as fast as he could. As Lloyd watched, the air became frigid and ice erupted from beneath the monster's feet, the shards slicing at its unprotected flank.

It screamed in fury and charged out of the tornado of ice, straight for Lloyd. Its horn was down and ready to slice though him, but Lloyd ducked at the last minute and, avoiding the hooves, slashed at the beast's soft belly from beneath. Its scream was worse this time, as it began to fall to the side, leaving Lloyd crouched and covered in blood and other unsightly bits.

Lloyd jumped to his feet in preparation to finish the Iubaris off, but Kratos was already there, slashing through its legs and slamming his sword into its head, finally killing it.

"G-good job Lloyd…" Colette gasped, out of breath from her own attempts to take the monster down.

"Next time avoid being knocked half to your death, if you would be so kind," Kratos snapped from his place still standing over the corpse. "Chosen, the seal." Something seemed to have frustrated his father and the mercenary was harsher than usual.

"Of…course…" Colette turned toward the altar as the group followed a few paces behind, and she pulled out her wings and clasped her hands. "Goddess Martel, great protector and nurturer of the earth, grant me thy strength…" Colette rose into the air…but nothing happened.

Then, the altar glowed golden and Luna's eyes opened. The Goddess was beautiful, her bright green hair falling over pale shoulders and framing innocently wide lavender eyes and a pretty round face. Her skin was covered in intricate green tattoos and her half-moon staff sat across her lap. Luna hovered in midair, perched on a silver-white crescent moon.

"Where is Aska?" Her lips parted and the sound echoed around them, but her lips didn't move in time. "I cannot form a pact without Aska…"

"W-who are you…?" gasped Colette, staring at the perfect creature.

"Oh…you do not want a pact…" Luna sighed and, as she did so, she dissolved in glittering golden light.

The Chosen's group stared at the space that Luna had occupied moments before, until, from the sky, Remiel descended.

"Chosen one," he intoned, his blue eyes glazed and seemingly distracted, "you have done extremely well in reaching this far. Rejoice, for this is the last seal, you may now make your way toward the Tower of Salvation and your ascension toward heaven."

"Thank you father…er…are you angry with me…?"

"No, Chosen. Pay no heed," all the same, Remiel had no explanation for why he was acting so strangely. "This is your final trial, be strong and accept the blessing of Cruxis. I will see you again at the Tower of Salvation." Without further ado, Remiel left, leaving Colette to drop back to the ground.

"Well…" she said softly, looking slightly hurt at Remiel's hurried departure. "…we should go, I'm sure we're all tired."

The walk down the Tower of Mana was quite, mostly due to with, as Colette said, the exhaustion that had overcome them. Despite the shortness of the battle, it had taken an extreme toll on them. They returned to the twisting halls of the library. As they were preparing their camp, just as was expected, Colette gasped and stumbled, falling forward.

Raine was at her side in a moment, helping her to sit down properly and asking her a dozen hurried questions. "Colette, where does it hurt? Honey, talk to me…"

"…" To the surprise of all but Lloyd and Kratos, Colette's voice was gone.

"I would imagine this is the result of the angel transformation," Kratos said coolly, not sounding at all concerned.

"She…lost her voice?" Genis blinked, "I don't understand…she never lost anything else during a trial, she just didn't feel good…"

"Colette," Raine murmured quietly, "I'm sorry. Everyone, there is something we need to explain…"

…

_Thank you for waiting for this one, hopefully the longer-than-usual-chapter makes up for it!_

_R&R_

_~Yoshi_


	26. Chapter 26

_This is a chapter that I've been looking forward to for ages; you'll see why, of course. Not much to say, really, this chapter practically wrote itself, so, enjoy!_

…

Colette wasn't speaking to Lloyd; of course, she was incapable of speech to anyone, but the normally forgiving Chosen had not so much as glanced at him since Raine had explained to the group about her situation.

"_Since the first seal…"_ Raine's words echoed in Lloyd's head as he wandered around Asgard, guilt bubbling in his stomach. _"Since the first seal Colette has been sacrificing part of her humanity in order to become an angel."_

_Colette's eyes went wide as she realized where Raine must have gotten this information and her eyes turned hard and she looked darkly at Lloyd. Stumbling slightly, Colette pushed herself to her feet and waved her hands, trying to stop Raine from going further. Her cheeks were flushed with fever and she swayed slightly, only to be caught by Lloyd as she almost fell again. She righted herself, then turned away from Lloyd to try to stop Raine, but the Professor only shook her head sadly and continued._

"_Colette no longer has the ability to eat, sleep, or feel pain…and now she has lost her voice. It's only reasonable, though," Raine added as she saw mutiny in Sheena and Genis' eyes. "To become a holy being, one must lose parts of their humanity."_

"_So Colette's been suffering this whole time!" Genis cried in anguish. "Why didn't she tell us? Why didn't_ you_ tell us earlier?"_

"_Lloyd and I only realized the full implications a short while ago."_

_All eyes flickered to Lloyd, including Colette's hurt, blue ones. The emotions ranged from Kratos' stoicism to Sheena's righteous fury. Lloyd turned red under their gazes, knowing that he should have kept his mouth shut. He silently cursed Raine for dragging him into this as well._

"…_I don't know much about the Chosen's Journey, or Cruxis or anything, but to make someone suffer like that and sacrifice themselves and everything that makes them who they are to save the world seems pretty damn messed up to me," Sheena grumbled. _

_Kratos glared between Sheena and Genis, as if they had personally insulted him. "Yet," he growled softly, "what other way is there to save the world? If the fate of the world rested on _your_ shoulders, would you save your own life in exchange for the lives of hundreds of thousands of others? Simply going into the Ranch to save _you_ and the others was a risk to our lives. Most men choose to act for the greater good—though there are those who are selfish enough to do otherwise." He looked pointedly at Sheena and Genis._

"…_while I agree with Sheena that it is a steep price, Kratos is also right in saying that to sacrifice the world for one person is too cruel. For the moment, however, to continue on with the Journey is our only option, even Colette would agree, yes?"_

_Five pairs of eyes turned on the blond Chosen who looked between her friends for a moment, then she nodded once. _

Lloyd knew that if Colette decided to be uncharacteristically vengeful, his secrets would be out in seconds. As much as he hated it, he was counting on Colette being a much better person than he to keep his secrets. He had tried to apologize, but it seemed that this betrayal was the last straw for the young Chosen, as she had not even opened the door to her room when Lloyd had knocked.

The only good thing that had come of this disaster was that Lloyd had managed to mention Raine's new healing techniques could be used to help Colette's state. This had gotten both Sheena and Genis joining him in the idea that they should work to find the unicorn, and the group had moved back to Asgard to conduct their search. The myth of the unicorn was so popular in Asgard that it had taken Raine next to no time to extract every drop of information from the citizens.

The young angel wandered his way back toward the inn; they were staying at the grandest Inn in Asgard, and as Lloyd ascended the stairs, the fine hairs on the back of his neck stood up. Lloyd tensed and began to turn, his hand already on the hilt of his sword, but a swift jab to his right shoulder blade made Lloyd gasp in pain as his hand was knocked away from the blade. It went skittering across the ground. An arm wrapped around his neck and fingers twined and then pulled his hair.

"Enough struggling, Lloyd," Yuan growled, looking down at his incapacitated victim. "Now, be a good boy and don't do anything stupid. We're going to give your Daddy a little visit."

Lloyd choked, and it wasn't only because Yuan had him quite securely around the throat; if Yuan made Kratos release the seal now, everything would be ruined! "W-what the hell do you think you're _doing?"_ he gasped. He had more than enough air to function, but to talk sounded was painful.

"The letter I sent myself explained that there is a way to release Origin's seal without killing Kratos, but he doesn't need to know that immediately, and the only way I can coax him into releasing the seal is by threatening you—the letter explained that as well."

"But—but it's _not—_supposed to happen yet!" Lloyd choked on his words, but Yuan waved his concerns away.

"Kvar has already done enough damage to your so-called "timeline"; my actions will make little real difference at the rate we are going."

Lloyd made another strangled choking noise as he was dragged along. Had he been in any other position, he would have demanded that Yuan explain, but now was neither the time nor the place. He let himself be dragged, waiting for the proper opportunity to get away, most likely when Yuan had dropped his guard just enough that his grip was loosened.

Yuan was dragging him toward the inn, but as they got close, he moved around the side of the inn to the entrance of a small alleyway between the sheer cliff face that rose behind the inn and the building itself. There was only one small door and no windows—little chance for anyone to walk out and help him. Just as Lloyd thought this, however, the door opened and Lloyd's heart leapt, only to fall a moment later as he realized it was his father who was coming.

"So, you actually came," Yuan said softly, almost sounding as if he regretted this whole affair.

"What is the meaning of this?" Kratos hissed softly. "Release Lloyd."

Kratos was doing such a fantastic job of acting and sounding like the uncaring mercenary that Lloyd honestly felt bad at having to break the charade. Yuan didn't seem to care for the art in the same way Lloyd did, however.

"Kratos, release Origin's seal or your son dies." Yuan moved to grab a knife from his belt. His grip on Lloyd's hair gone, the boy was able to pull away and block Yuan's next grab.

"Yuan!" Lloyd couldn't help it, his frustration boiled out at the Seraph. Somehow, the idea that Yuan would bring up Lloyd's relationship to Kratos hadn't occurred to him. He had assumed the man would have the decency to wait until the proper time to blow _this_ as well. It had come out at the wrong moment, he had not expected it; the time for the proper shock had passed. The only thing left was to pull himself out of this with the least amount of pain possible.

"Yuan you…_whore!"_ Lloyd snapped at last. "You are _frigging unbelievable!_ I can't believe you'd screw this up so _badly!"_ Both Seraphim seemed to have paused at Lloyd's adjective for Yuan and were staring at the now shouting Lloyd.

"…what the hell did you just call me?" Yuan hissed after a moment, pulling a knife on Lloyd. The blade glittered in the angel's hand and Lloyd reached for his own swords, but came back with only one. The other was probably lying in some back ally, far from his reach. He switched the left-handed sword to his right hand; the handle uncomfortable between his fingers.

Yuan moved to strike, but even as Lloyd raised his single sword in an uneven, sloppy defense, the Seraph's knife met Kratos' shield and Lloyd's father shoved his friend away. "I think that is enough, Yuan," Kratos said almost calmly.

"Dammit," Yuan spat, seeing quickly that between Lloyd and his father, there was no way Yuan could take both down.

"Would you like to explain what it is you think you are doing?" Kratos advanced, sword still pointed at Yuan's neck. The other angel's green eyes were wide and angry; he, like Lloyd, had no real alibi. Yuan had lost, and in the process he had exposed himself as a traitor and a Renegade.

The Seraph's moment of panic turned to a sneer of defiance. "I think you already realized what's happened, Kratos." He backed a few inches further toward the entrance to the ally and away from Kratos' striking area.

"So, you've turned traitor then, old friend," Kratos said with a half-sigh, but he didn't sound particularly surprised. "…of course you are." He looked at his oldest friend for a moment; Kratos clearly wanted to say more, but he was also conscious of Lloyd's presence with them. Then his eyes hardened. "If you have something you want of me, Yuan, I would appreciate it if you would not drag Lloyd into it. Now get out."

"…do you plan to report me?" Yuan raised an eyebrow, trying to look as though he was not nervous, and not entirely succeeding.

Something softened in Kratos' eyes, "I have no intention of doing so unless you choose to threaten Lloyd a second time. Now_ go."_

"…thank you," Yuan murmured, then turned and left. For the first time, Lloyd realized that the Seraph hadn't bothered to wear his cape, and his armor stood out in the shady Asgard streets. He strolled away, his steps as confident as ever, despite just having faced down his closest friend at sword point. If Yuan hadn't pulled a knife on him, Lloyd might almost have felt bad.

"…I think we need to talk," Kratos said softly, reminding Lloyd that he had bigger problems than what Yuan was wearing at the moment. When Lloyd turned to look at his father, he met the man's back. Kratos wouldn't meet his eyes. "Let's take a walk."

"Kay…" Lloyd followed behind his father, who took the main street for several minutes before turning off toward the residential cliffs that made up Asgard's east end. Until they were safely away from the bustle of Asgard's larger district, neither man said a word.

Finally, Kratos broke the silence. "…you knew, before Yuan said anything, you knew. How?"

Lloyd held his breath for a moment, watching his father's high shoulders, thinking. He had tried and failed to come up with a real excuse for his actions, but in his time he _had_ managed to come up with a reason for his knowledge. "…Kvar," he said at last. "While we were alone, he told me about Mom…and you. He seemed to think the whole thing was funny." Lloyd swallowed; there was no reason for Kratos not to believe his story, but he still felt nervous lying.

"…why did you never mention it?" Perhaps Lloyd was imagining it—he hoped he was—but Kratos sounded almost sad.

"…there never seemed to be a good time," Lloyd lied. There had been plenty of opportunities, but that was beside the point. "And I couldn't work up the courage…" As far as Lloyd was concerned, neither of these excuses fit well into his personality, to his eyes he had always spoken his mind loudly and without concern as to whom was listening.

Kratos stopped walking without warning and Lloyd was only able to stop a pace behind him. As much as he wanted to back away, he couldn't quite bring himself to reject his father by the one, simple movement. Lloyd's father looked over his shoulder, down into Lloyd's worried, brown eyes, then turned to face him fully. They were alone. "…I am sorry, Lloyd."

"…don't apologize," Lloyd said softly, his voice coming out gruff. "I'm sure—I'm sure there was a good reason you didn't say anything. I mean…you probably weren't even sure it was me…" His best lies gone, Lloyd was now grasping at straws, hoping Kratos was too emotionally tangled to see through him.

The Seraph sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, a motion Lloyd had inherited in the few, short months in which he had gotten to know his biological father before he had left with Derris-Kharlan. "…you had Noishe, you had her eyes, you have the right name, after seeing Anna's grave—" Kratos cut off for a moment, regaining his composure, "…I had no doubt it was you, but I doubted you would believe me, or embrace me, for that matter."

"…what makes you say that?" Lloyd asked softly. "You heard me talk about wanting to find my biological father… You know how much I like you, how many times you've saved my life, how could you think I wouldn't want to know who you were?"

"Lloyd, be logical," a touch of Kratos' cold reasoning had returned, "do I look old enough to be your father?"

"…quarter elf?" Lloyd guessed, for the first time trying not to smile. Somehow, when he had imagined Yuan "telling" Lloyd that Kratos was his father, he had always imagined it to be almost comical, like some huge practical joke. It was nothing like that; his heart was pounding as hard as it had the first time and he was perhaps more nervous now than ever. One wrong word and he could expose himself. It was a sobering thought.

Kratos sighed, "…well, you are right to think I am not human…" He closed his eyes, most likely pondering what to tell Lloyd, just as he himself was doing. "…I am an angel."

Lloyd made his mouth drop open slightly and his eyes widen. He stared. "…how's that possible? I mean, Colette's not even a full angel yet and she can't talk or eat or sleep and I've seen you do all of that! And if you're an angel…who was Mom? Why are you _here?"_ Lloyd was rephrasing and recycling old questions that he had asked Kratos before and injecting a few that felt appropriate for their current situation.

"…Anna was a prisoner at Kvar's Ranch whom I rescued," Kratos' tone hedged slightly here, as if there was more that he wasn't saying. "We fell in love and ran away together. She was completely human. Colette is going through the transformation; of course she is suffering from different effects. As for my purpose here, I was sent to make sure the Chosen succeeded in her journey."

So many guarded words, but Lloyd could hardly blame him. He wondered for a long moment if the Journey would be easier if he supposedly knew more. To be able to be open and honest with his father… The idea felt so refreshing to Lloyd. Reality, however, woke him from that dream. After the Tower, in Tethe'alla, he couldn't pretend to his friends that he had no idea it was coming. To add that to his lies would hurt more than ever. Yes, he knew what was going to happen already, but Kratos didn't realize it as well.

"…I-I guess that makes sense…" Lloyd sighed and dropped his head, staring at his boots, worrying, wondering.

"And now I have a question for you," Kratos murmured. "You not only knew that—who I was, but you also seemed to know Yuan, having used his first name. How do you know him?"

Here, Lloyd decided, the truth could be used. Kratos already knew that Yuan was the leader of the Renegades. "…when I was captured in Triet, I met him. We talked and I got his name. I-I guess he mentioned you, 'cause I knew he knew you…" Despite this being mostly the truth, Kratos was suspicious. He said nothing, however, to question Lloyd.

"I see…" he murmured simply.

"…D-Kratos," for once, Lloyd made the stumble purposefully, hoping to distract his father from his inability to properly tell the truth, "…would you mind…not telling the others about this? They…I don't know how well they'd take all of this, you know? And…it's a lot to take in and I just don't think I could take their questions right now…"

Lloyd feared that something like shame flashed through Kratos' eyes, but it was gone before he could really place it. "Of course, there is enough going on at the moment that we need not add to it."

"Thanks… Kratos…could you…maybe…tell me about Mom?" This was a real request, for as many times as he had heard stories and stared for hours at the picture inside the locket that Kratos had given him, Lloyd craved more information about his mother. They began to walk again.

Kratos' eyes softened again, their wine-red depths filling with love and fond memories. "…you look like her," Kratos began softly. "Hair the same color as yours, soft, brown eyes. And she quite liked to argue; I am convinced she played devil's advocate in more than one of our…debates simply to disagree with me." Much to Lloyd's surprise, Kratos chuckled softly. "But she was a good woman, constantly striving for a better world. I was shocked to find such spirit in a Ranch; most break within the first year, but she had been there for at least four before we met.

"She was also just as stubborn as you are. Once her mind was set on something, not even the Gods could stop her. You clearly inherited your obstinacy from her. She would be very proud."

"…glad _someone_ would be happy about that. I was always worried it was just annoying."

"Anna once confessed to me that she felt terrible, as she put it, "out-subborn-ing" me. Yet, I believe that was the beautiful thing about her, even her faults she embraced and used to her advantage. More often than not, she was right." He smiled softly.

"…you really loved her…" Lloyd said softly. His voice was hoarse.

"…and you," Kratos agreed. "I was…perfectly terrified at the thought of having a child whilst fleeing from the Desians, but Anna was ecstatic. Thankfully, it was contagious, and you were perhaps the greatest thing that could have happened to us."

Lloyd stopped walking, and Kratos followed his example, turning to face his son. Lloyd's arms wrapped around Kratos and he hugged his father. "Thanks…Dad." He knew Kratos' expression would be beyond shocked, but it simply felt good to hug his father again. After a moment, he felt his father's arms circle his back as Kratos hugged his son back.

…

_Sorry for the fluffy chapter, but we've got to have one every so often, right?_

_R&R_

_~Yoshi_


	27. Chapter 27

_Pact-chapter! This is the first time Sheena's really taken over, so we'll see how that goes. Lots of explaining and plot, figured I needed it after last chapter's fluff. Oh, and Kratos makes a profound political insight. My critique on debt-ceiling-related politics -_-'_

_Thanks for waiting for this chapter, I got caught up in the mess that is my life: I'm back on the college-hunt, perhaps the most terrifying choice of a young person's life, so I tend to lose track of time. Bear with me though, my dear friends, and you will be rewarded!_

…

Lloyd's head felt ready to explode; stress, worries, anger, and his continued acting and lies spun around his mind like dozens of flies in a glass jar, wanting desperately to get out. He knew, however, that if he let himself focus on any one thought or worry too long, he would break down, and that was the last thing he needed. Part of him wondered if he could get away for a few hours and just scream, if it would help, but his theory had been unable to be tested as his father had been stealing his every private moment. They could not be family openly, so Lloyd supposed that it was fair, but even when he could supposedly open up, he was still holding in secrets and weaving lies.

Sometimes he wondered how much the others knew; he was almost disappointed that Raine or Kratos hadn't realized that he was from the future, that he was stronger and smarter than he should be. If they guessed it, how could he deny it? And telling someone the truth sounded absolutely wonderful. However, if any of his five companions had guessed at his oddness, they had said no word of it to him, so he wove his lies and acted his part and hoped to the Goddess Martel that Kvar hadn't done anything that Lloyd couldn't somehow repair.

Because that was what Lloyd feared the most, what Kvar could be doing behind his back. It was a small word from Yuan, it was that Lloyd heard or saw no whisper of the Desians in what remained of Sylvarant's cities. It was gut instinct. Kvar was doing something behind his back, while Lloyd was trying to keep the timeline as it should be, Kvar had long ago thrown caution to the wind—or at least Lloyd _thought—_and could be doing _anything._

Just the thought made Lloyd's stomach boil and twist like the "stew" that Raine had made the day before for their midday meal.

Yet life carried on, and the group marched from Asgard to Lake Umacy where Raine's rumors had said the Unicorn could be seen on clear days, and, lo and behold, there it had been. Despite having seen the Unicorn before, it still took Lloyd's breath away; its coat was pearl and its mane gold, and it lay on the lake floor, deep below reeds and fallen trees. It was stretched out as if asleep, but with Lloyd's keen eyes, he could see the misted green eyes blink open and closed every so often. It was bored, he thought with a small smile.

"…perhaps Lloyd or Kratos could dive for it…" Raine suggested half-heartedly, knowing that there was no way to call it up from the shore where they stood. Her proposition, however, was quickly shot down by Kratos' logic.

"It is too deep for an inexperienced diver, which we both are. And even if we were capable, it would take a power far greater than our own to break whatever spell keeps it there." Kratos had been slightly on-edge lately, despite his new honesty with Lloyd, and it was largely due to Raine's insistence upon retracing their steps to find the ingredients for her new healing spells. She was none-too-subtly coaxed forward by Lloyd, not that Kratos was aware of it.

"…yeah, Raine, for once I have to agree with Kratos," Genis piped up, "even at full strength, my magic's not breaking through that, the mana around here's as strong as the seals, it's gonna take more than we've got… Maybe there's another Unicorn somewhere…?" He tried to suggest it lightly, implying that they could easily look after the Journey as well, but was silenced when Raine's crystal eyes flickered to his face furiously.

"…I realize that it is impossible…" she said at last. "I simply wish there was a way…"

"Maybe…maybe there is…" Sheena said softly, from behind. Despite everything she had been through with the group, Raine and Kratos still resented her, and they being as influential as they were made her life very difficult. On top of her lower-than-dirt status, the scars that Kvar had given her refused to heal past the point of raised pale pink lines that spread across her entire body. Her confidence had been destroyed, or, rather what was left of it after the failed pact with Volt.

Her words now, however, caught Raine's full attention and she turned to stare at Sheena, "What! You think you know of a way! Do you…perhaps can _you_ dive?"

"N-no… I'm trained in the art of Summoning…" Her ruined skin turned a blotchy red from embarrassment. "You've met Corrine, he's a Summon Spirit and my only pact, but I have the ability to make more, even if I lack practice… Y-you once told me that you released the seal of water, that's where Undine, the Summon Spirit of Water would be. I-if I managed a pact, her power could bring the Unicorn to us and probably break the spells too…"

For once, something seemed to be going right. This was the longest speech Sheena had given since joining the group, perhaps she felt a bit more confident having found something useful to do. And offering a service that she had such a dark past in proved just how much she wanted to be accepted.

"I had always thought that Summoning was a lost art," Raine admitted. "Don't get me wrong," she added as Sheena opened her mouth to contradict herself and shoot her own idea down, "a Pact-making and Summoning would be fascinating, and it would solve our problems, I'm merely curious as to how you learned a lost art…"

"…I have my resources," Sheena said vaguely. "B-but I'm gonna warn you now, I've only every managed to make one pact, and it was kind of…informal. I don't know what'll happen if it goes wrong…"

"It is a chance we'll have to take!" Raine said confidently before Kratos could protest, though he very clearly wanted to. "To the seal of water, then!"

The walk took over three days as the group seemed to move slowly, despite Raine's enthusiasm, but it was the second night when Sheena stood awkwardly, catching every eye and cleared her throat unnecessarily. "I-I guess I've got something to say…" she tried awkwardly. "Raine…you've been asking me how I know how to Summon, and I know you're all wondering why I was trying to kill Colette and…well…I guess I figure it's time that I told you, 'cause I owe you that much anyway."

"Yes, do tell," Raine said calmly, but her eyes were lit excitedly in the moonlight. "You've said that your reason for wanting to stop the Regeneration is that _not everyone_ will be saved…meaning your land must be beyond Sylvarant, and I correct?" Genis and Colette's eyes both widened at this, and Lloyd forced his to reflect shock as well.

"Yeah…" Sheena swallowed, "I come from Tethe'alla, a world that lies parallel to Sylvarant, and shares its mana."

"Tethe'alla?" Genis scoffed, "That's the moon! You can't be from the _moon."_ The great silver orb hung over them as if to prove Genis' words, it was cold and lifeless above them.

"No, your moon is named after old legends and stories about us, just as ours is called Sylvarant, or at least it used to be, in all the old stories. The point is," she cut across Raine who seemed to have history and facts to add and had opened her mouth to inform them all, "that when one world completes the Regeneration, the mana from one world flows into the other and that world begins to decline. We've dubbed them the flourishing and declining worlds."

"So, what you're saying is that right now Sylvarant is declining, and Tethe'alla is flourishing, but when Colette completes the Regeneration, our world will get the mana, and Tethe'alla will turn into what Sylvarant is now?" Genis blinked as if trying to wrap his head around all of this. "But I thought it was the Desians' magitechnology that depleted the mana, that's what Mithos the Hero's stories all claim, and they've been accepted as facts for hundreds of years."

"I don't know," Sheena sighed, "magitechnology isn't something I'm a genius with, I just know how to work the usual stuff. The details elude me. Maybe they increase the depletion, maybe it's just ancient propaganda, all I know is that's what our scientists have come up with. I was sent here to stop the Regeneration so Tethe'alla wouldn't fall into decline…"

Her face fell slightly and her eyes drifted away from her audience and out into the Palmacosta plains, the dry grasses shifting in the cold evening wind. Winter was approaching, and soon this ground would be covered in frost, and then snow. "But I've been all around Sylvarant, I've met people who are suffering…and I don't want to hurt those people…I don't want to hurt you guys and I don't think I could find it in myself to hurt Colette either. At the same time, though, I refuse to abandon Tethe'alla. My family and f-friends are counting on me…so now I don't know what to do…" She finished rather lamely, but as Lloyd looked around, he was pleased to see pity in the eyes off all but Kratos.

"…isn't there a way to balance out the mana flow? So each world gets an equal amount of mana. Or maybe we could Regenerate both! The Angels control the mana, so maybe we could ask Remiel, or maybe if both worlds perform the ritual at the same time, maybe then it would work—." Genis took to hypothesizing, spewing ideas as they came, but all relied on the angels being on their side, and Lloyd held his tongue, partially knowing that he should be engaging in this enthusiasm so as to keep his cover, but not feeling as though he could bring himself to do it.

"Genis," Raine said softly, stopping him mid-rant, "as lovely as those thoughts are, this is reality: perhaps no such easy answer or compromise exists. The Chosen's Journey of Regeneration has gone on as long as anyone can remember, there is probably a reason for it. Perhaps our best answer is to simply continue to balance the mana with the Chosen's Journey, have out governments contact each other so that the attempts are known and controlled…"

Kratos snorted, "Governments are corrupt; do not expect anything productive from them, unless you consider arguing productive."

Colette stood and made her way over to where Genis sat, stealing his hand and beginning to write in it. At first Genis only blinked blankly, but as he began to notice the pattern in her scribbles, he caught on. "Colette's got something to say. He waited for a moment while Colette scribbled, "She says "Remiel," I think she means she'll ask him about what we can do to help Tethe'alla…"

As Lloyd watched the exchange, he felt his heart plummet. Last time it had been_ he_ who had translated for Colette, but now she had brushed past him and chosen Genis. She was clearly still furious and silently ignoring him.

"Colette…" Sheena's brown eyes filled with tears which she blinked away. "…I have to admit, I'd be really grateful if you would, because I _don't_ want Sylvarant to suffer. All the same though…if that falls through, I may still have to kill you…"

Genis blinked, looking ready to jump to Colette's defense, but the young Chosen was already writing for herself. "I—oh, Colette says "If that's what it comes to…" he paused for her to say more, "…then I'll fight back… Sylvarant is… my home."

"Then let's hope for both our sakes that your father has the answer…" Sheena said darkly.

…

"Lloyd, fall back with me, Ms. Sage, Fujibayashi, take point, Chosen, Genis, stay toward the middle." All but Sheena were able to follow Kratos' orders swiftly, and Lloyd, who had been leading the small party through the Temple of Water, fell back to walk beside his father, his fingers on his sword's hilt. "Lloyd," Kratos said softly so his voice did not carry, "are you alright?"

The boy started, looking away from the boiling water that made up the small lake to his left and up into his father's red eyes, "…what do you mean?"

"You have been acting oddly, is something bothering you?" Kratos seemed to feel awkward asking Lloyd, and it occurred to him that perhaps Kratos was only voicing his worries because he wanted to act fatherly. If he had not been annoyed that he was so obvious, he would have been touched.

"…" Lloyd continued to look into his father's eyes, watching as concern slipped past the emotionless mask he usually wore. "…it's something Yuan said," he admitted, "before we found you…"_ Kvar has already done enough damage to your so-called "timeline"; my actions will make little real difference at the rate we are going._ This was what really haunted Lloyd's every thought—that Kvar was off destroying everything that he was trying to hold together. Kvar was bound by nothing, he had already escaped what was supposed to be his own _death—_not to mention somehow had resurrected himself in the first place—what did he care if Lloyd's future didn't go exactly how he wanted it to?

"…yes?" Kratos prompted softly.

Lloyd took a breath, wanting so badly to tell Kratos. "…he said that Kvar was up to something, and it sounded…really bad…"

Kratos stiffened beside him. "Did he specify?"

"I tried to ask him, but he wasn't exactly in the mood to chat, and he was sort of choking me at the time. It's just…Kvar's a monster, and whatever he's doing…well, it can't be good. He's a bastard and what if we can't get rid of him even if we Regenerate the World? What if he gets to us first? He broke all those people, crushed their spirits and just _laughed:_ slaughtered _children…_"

"…everything will turn out alright. Kvar may be powerful, but he is not the greatest of the Desian Grand Cardinals, and each guards their power jealously. He will remain where he is if only because he is kept in his place by his fellows."

Pronyma? Rodyle? Mithos? Lloyd wanted to laugh, destroying and dethroning them was something he would have wanted to do anyway. He had already called Mithos a traitor to the Desians, and Pronyma worked directly for Yggdrasill. Rodyle was under Kvar's control…

Lloyd's stomach twisted as a thought came to mind that had never before existed: what if Kvar had killed or dethroned Mithos? It would explain Remiel's nerves at the Tower of Mana, and Kvar was malicious enough to keep Lloyd thinking that the Journey should still take place only to have them ambushed at the Tower of Salvation…

He shook his head, trying to dispel the unpleasant thoughts, but they persisted and he sighed softly. Kratos, however, took his gesture as hopelessness and gently laid a hand on his shoulder. "We know little of the Desians," his lie was effortless, "I am sure that nothing they do can stop the Regeneration…"

"Yeah," Lloyd said hollowly, "sure."

…

The seal was just as they had left it, but with a new, brighter, stronger feeling of mana. It was clear that the seal had been released: even the water seemed to glisten a little stronger. Sheena walked forward, head held high but visibly shaking. For the moment, watching the ninja face her biggest fear, Lloyd forgot about his own worries and stress and watched her walk forward to stand before the altar, just as Colette had.

"Undine?" she called softly, "Can you hear me?"

"Yes, Pact Maker." Undine stepped, or rather appeared, out onto the altar, her blue skin reflected in the waterfalls that splashed around her. The water seemed to change its course and run toward her, almost as if she was stronger than gravity. Her hair fell around her bare torso in deep purple waves, only parted by the long fin that protruded from the top of her head and her long, graceful ears, also shaped like fins. Undine's lower half was covered in a skirt that drifted off into the pools of water that moved with her, almost like they were the same. Her red, fishlike eyes were fixed on Sheena, her lips peeled back in a small smile revealing sharp, pointed teeth.

Despite her somewhat intimidating appearance, her voice was soft and sweet and the smile truly was inviting. "What is it that you seek?"

"I-I seek a pact with the Spirit Undine," Sheena answered, trying to sound in control of herself.

The Spirit sighed, "Unfortunately, I am one who is bound to Mithos, and I cannot hold two pacts." Her chin tilted to the side and she watched Sheena with interest.

All the confidence that Sheena had been feigning fell apart and she turned back toward the group, or more specifically, Raine. "I-I don't' know what to do! The Research Academy where I was taught never said anything about other pacts!"

"You must ask her to renounce her pact with this Mithos and establish a new pact with yourself. If his pact is broken or if he has already died," Kratos almost sighed the words, as if they brought him pain, "if one of the two conditions is filled, you will be able to form a new pact with a new vow."

"Is it really that easy?" Genis asked skeptically.

"There is nothing easy about forming pacts, they are powerful and dangerous and not to be taken lightly." Kratos growled it so harshly that Genis paled and backed down.

"S-so I just ask her to end her pact with, erm, this Mithos? All right, I'll try it…" Sheena turned back to Undine, her face coloring under the scarring. "Undine, I am Sheena. I ask that thou annulst thy pact with Mithos and establish a new pact with me." Her voice and hands shook, but Sheena faced down Undine who smiled fishily.

"Then let us fight, I must see if you are worthy of wielding my power."

As Undine stepped forward, Sheena stumbled back, fumbling and pulling out two of her spell cards. Lloyd and Kratos had both drawn their swords and were running forward to attack the Spirit before the others had fully gathered what was happening, and Lloyd was just in time to block an explosion of water from hitting Sheena. The sheer force of the liquid sent Lloyd stumbling backward, but he was able to catch his balance on the wet, slippery floor and continue his charge forward.

Mana rushed over Lloyd's head, toward Undine, but the Summon Spirit sliced through the air and Genis' Windblade attack disappeared into nothingness. In her moment of distraction, Kratos attempted to attack Undine from the side, but he was knocked back by a burst of angry water and sent spluttering to the ground. Raine raced around puddles toward the mercenary to see if he was alright, but, anger flashing through his eyes, Kratos rose and ran forward to slice at her a second time.

Lloyd joined the assault, but between he, Kratos, Sheena, and Genis, no spell or attack seemed to land. Whichever way they turned, water seemed to catch them off guard and, more often than not, send them toppling to the slick ground. Under cover of one of Genis' stronger spells, Lloyd raced forward, hoping to catch her off guard. He got close, nicking at her pale skin and Undine shrieked, her sharp teeth glittering in the half-light, and she flung her hands out at Lloyd, her nails like claws.

He jumped out of the way, thinking he had eluded her attack, but waves of water followed her motions and pain and dizziness exploded in his head. Water flowed into his nose and mouth, sending him sprawling on the wet stones, eyes open and staring up to the dark ceiling as he waited for his senses to return.

"Lloyd!" he heard Raine shout from somewhere above him. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he heard the loud battle raging just a few feet away, but Raine's face swam into view and the sounds of battle died away. "Gods, Lloyd," Raine cursed softly and chanted a healing spell. Warmth spread through Lloyd's body, then the pain came; he was snapped brutally back to his senses and rolled onto his stomach coughing and hacking mucus and water. He gagged and Raine gently rubbed his back. "Better?" she asked softly.

"Y-yeah, thanks," Lloyd gasped and he forced himself to his feet, finding Kratos and Sheena in the middle of what honestly looked like a maelstrom. Undine was almost invisible inside, but every so often Lloyd could see the cold flash of steel as Kratos attacked or one of Sheena's legs break through the water. Lloyd circled it, unsure as to how to reenter the battle. He would have asked Genis to cast lightning, but there was water everywhere and Kratos and Sheena were in the midst of it. He couldn't hurt Undine without hurting them.

Suddenly, from overhead there was a burst of light and holy Judgment rained down upon the battle. The lights seared into Lloyd's eyes and he was sure he cried out as he flung himself away from the attack. His first thought was insane—that _he_ had somehow cast the spell, but that was impossible. Judgment took more focus than he normally had: it was not something he could do without thinking. It hadn't been Kratos, Lloyd had seen him in the battle, which left only…

Lloyd tore his eyes from the lights ripping through water several feet ahead and looked over his shoulder to where Colette was hovering a few inches off the ground, her pink wings glowing brightly, with her eyes shut tightly in concentration. Power emanated from her. She had cast Judgment, though Lloyd was unsure as to how she had. She had not learned the power until after she had lost her soul, as Lloyd recalled, yet there she stood, the holy lightning of Judgment was still falling.

A abrupt, gut-wrenching realization made him jerk his head around to once again watch the light show. _Sheena and Kratos were in there!_ Lloyd had little hope that even Kratos could survive that, and no hope for Sheena. Finally, the last of the attack died away, and with it went the torrents of water. It slunk, almost as if realizing its defeat, off the sides of the platform and into the dark pools that surrounded the room.

The sight that greeted them was so relieving that Lloyd couldn't help but laugh. Kratos and Sheena, both very much alive, were crouched beside Undine who had erected a shimmering bubble of water around them. The thin membrane had somehow protected them from Judgment. They must have looked like quite a sight as well, Lloyd soaking wet and sitting in a puddle on the floor, laughing, Raine gaping, Genis gasping, and Colette slumped on one of the few pieces of dry land that remained.

For a moment, Lloyd thought she may renew the attack, but Undine only smiled, "I do believe you have proven your worth. Pact Maker Sheena, make your vow—a vow worthy of my power."

Sheena, shaken, wet, and tired, looked up into the Spirit's red eyes and when she finally spoke, her words were clear and unwavering, "At this moment, people are suffering; I vow to stop their suffering."

"Then a new pact has been formed. Keep your vow, pact maker." Undine began to fade as she spoke, and by her last words, they were only an empty echo as light descended down to Sheena's fingers.

…

_And that's that, next chapter is…wait, no, that can't be right…_

_*Yoshi spends a moment looking through notes*_

_It's true! Next chapter is the Tower of Salvation! Who knew things could move this fast! I want to have the next chapter up before school starts on the 22, so see you then!_

_~Yoshi_


	28. Chapter 28

_Alright, Tower time. For the sake of story movement, I'm glazing over the Unicorn and going straight to Hima. Don't hate me, I wanted to get to the Tower before school started, when my update schedule will become even less frequent again. _

_So, here's the Tower chapter. Enjoy._

…

_Okay, I think it's time to make one more announcement, something I've been hesitating at doing, but here it is: This fic is going to contain character deaths. The one today is minor, admittedly, but there are going to be more, and they are going to be bigger. At this point, I don't intend to do anything graphically, and have no intention of upping the rating, but this is fair warning. _

_I want this to be a darker fic, and I've had this planned for awhile now, hope it doesn't dissuade anyone, but I knew I should forewarn. Enough of my babbling, onto the story._

…

Hima at sunset was glorious; the already red stone of the mountains was lit with the blood red sky. The small inn, set into the side of an outcropping of stone, was currently holding the Chosen's group as they prepared to fly to the Tower of Salvation the next day. Lloyd felt as though it had all happened very quickly, as if he had blinked and suddenly he was no longer in Iselia, panicking about how he was going to learn to act like his old, younger self, but trying to prepare himself to stand aside as hell broke loose, they were betrayed, and Colette lost her soul.

As the group sat quietly around the inn's lobby, he watched each of his friends. Colette sat off by herself, blue eyes closed and pale lips pulled unhappily downward. Kratos was deep in thought, but his face was as emotionless as always. Raine and Genis were sitting together, murmuring over some of Raine's research notes, or perhaps she was teaching her brother a lesson. Sheena was hiding up in her room, a habit she had developed since Raine had discovered that even her new healing abilities and the power of the Unicorn horn could not save her face.

Lloyd had to look away from his friends, eyes focusing down on Noishe, whom he was absently petting. He felt as though he'd let his friends down, like they had been so much closer at this point last time than now. In some ways, he felt divided from them. Genis barely spoke to him, and when he did is wasn't as if they were best friends, but acquaintances. Raine was suspicious of him; she knew that he was keeping secrets, but she trustedhim. Perhaps that was what hurt most of all. Kratos' secret may have come out, but Lloyd could only find himself worrying about what that would bring at the Tower.

It was Colette, though, that terrified him. She hated Lloyd for telling her secret, and, in her way, she had completely ignored him for weeks. Colette never got outright angry, only gave the cold shoulder, which was particularly easy when one could not speak. All the same, Lloyd wished desperately that she wouldn't lose her soul hating him.

Without really thinking about what he was doing, Lloyd pushed Noishe's head off of his lap and walked over to Colette. Her face hardened as she realized who it was who had come to talk to her. "Colette," Lloyd said quietly, "let's go for a walk. I wanna talk…" He realized how insensitive that sounded as soon as the words left his mouth and he immediately scrambled to correct himself. "I-I…what I mean is I… I wanted to apologize…" He felt his cheeks heat up.

Colette seemed to soften and she rose to join him. The Chosen led the way out of the inn and into the darkening evening. She started toward the hiking path that began behind the inn and lead to the top of the mountain, where they would be taking off the next morning.

At first, Lloyd couldn't seem to gather his thoughts, he stumbled over his words several times before finally gasping out, "Gods, Colette, I'm so sorry!" The red-gloved fingers that clutched the hilt of Lloyd's sword trembled slightly and he wished he could bring himself to look up at her, to see what she was thinking. "I shouldn't have said anything to Raine," he continued softly. "I was just thinking that maybe her new healing powers could help you, and it somehow came out and—and I totally get why you hate me, really, I do…"

The crunch of Colette's shoes on gravel ceased and Lloyd stopped mid-step, his eyes moving up automatically to see why she had stopped. The Chosen was simply standing there, looking at him. Her blue eyes were filled with sorrow and Colette held out her hand. Lloyd, fully expecting her to start writing him a message, gave her his hand palm up, but she turned it over and held it in hers. Colette continued to walk up the mountain path, Lloyd's hand clasped in hers.

His stomach seemed to drop slightly, but it was better than nothing, Lloyd reasoned as they took their first steps out onto the twilight-lit mountaintop. It flattened into a plateau that offered a grand look over all of the hills and mountains that surrounded Hima. The red stone glowed in the dim light and the first hints of stars in the eastern sky were brilliant. Far across the wastelands between Hima and the Tower, rocks and mountain ranges dotted the land. The Tower of Salvation stood tall against the final reached of the sun; the sky was still pink and filled with clouds, a striking sight.

"…it's beautiful…" Lloyd whispered. "Even dying, Sylvarant is glorious."

Colette nodded beside him and without taking her eyes from the scene before them, she took his hand and flipped it palm-up, and with her other hand, wrote slowly, _I…forgive you…Lloyd…_

"Colette…" Lloyd smiled down at her, "…thank you so much…I didn't want to see our journey end while we were fighting…"

_Me neither…we've come…so far together…I can hardly…believe it…_

"Yeah," Lloyd sighed, his eyes moving back out to the scene. "You know, Colette? You're my best friend. I'm glad I was able to come along on your journey, I'm glad I get to see it to the end and watch as you Regenerate the World…" He paused, waiting to see if Colette would respond to his words. This was a conversation—this part at least—that was vivid in his memory, and in this setting, it was not hard to recall his emotions, his thoughts.

When Colette failed to say anything, Lloyd took initiative again, "Colette…I wanna keep protecting you, so please, whatever happens tomorrow, be safe…"

Lloyd met Colette's eyes and saw the deep sadness in them, saw the regret she felt, and the determination. A smile lit her face and Colette nodded and her finger wrote without shaking at the blatant lie she was telling him. _Of course, Lloyd! I'll stay safe and Regenerate the World for you!_

"Thanks Colette." He could have let on that he knew what was going to happen to her, he could have hinted at his knowledge, but he could see her hopefulness, her wish that he would stay blissfully ignorant for one more day, and he couldn't bring himself to destroy her only happy thought.

…

Lloyd was awoken by the soft sound of a closing door the next morning and, quickly blinking the sleep from his eyes, he rose silently and followed his father out of the room, leaving his friends asleep on the ground behind him. Kratos would be out talking to Noishe, and then Yuan would show up and…what if he tried to kill Kratos again? After what had happened in Asgard, Lloyd's trust of Yuan had plummeted, and he wouldn't put it past his uncle to try to kill Kratos again.

But as he slipped out of the inn, he saw the last thing he had expected to see, Kratos and Yuan sitting and talking.

"I'm telling you, Kratos, you can't go into that Tower," Yuan snapped, "the bastard is up to something, and if there's anyone he'd want to get revenge on, it's you." The half-elf sounded angry and he looked it. His pale face was whiter than usual and his hands were clenched at his sides.

The Eternal Swordsman slipped around the side of the inn so he could listen to their conversation without being spotted.

"Yuan, that is ridiculous. Whatever you believe Kvar is doing, with Mithos around, what can he possibly hope to accomplish?" Lloyd couldn't see Kratos' face, but he knew his father was frowning angrily.

"More than you would think," Yuan contradicted him. "Pronyma is dead."

There was a pause as both Kratos and Lloyd took this unpleasant piece of information in. While Lloyd had never _liked _Pronyma, the idea that she was dead…

"Is there any proof that it was Kvar?" Kratos asked, but he now sounded slightly haunted.

"Kvar did not shy away from the blame," Yuan said bluntly, "he came before Yggdrasill and outright _said_ he had done it. He's made himself an army of the Desians, Rodyle and Myrrh are both working for him as well, and we can hardly rule out Forcystus as well, though I've heard nothing. The Desians would have waged war on Cruxis had Mithos done anything. They are at a stalemate, and it would do Kvar an infinite amount of good if he could capture the Chosen. I would not put it past him to storm the Tower."

So this was Kvar's plan. He had let them get this far, only to set a trap. No, Lloyd backtracked, Mithos would have suspected this, there would be guards, there was no way Kvar could take the Tower. At the same time, though, it would be difficult for Yuan to sneak in… He was shaking now, his thoughts scattering, and it was Kratos' voice that brought him back.

"Then the only thing to do is prevail and get the Chosen to Yggdrasill successfully; we manage that, Kvar would hold little over us…"

Yuan shook his head, "I don't like it, but I also can't think of a better alternative. All that comes to mind is getting her to Yggdrasill at a different location, but to try to sway an age-old tradition, and the explanations…too thick, it would be nearly impossible…"

"My thoughts exactly," Kratos sighed, "We take it head-on and hope for the best. If anything, we make it though the Tower and worry about what will happen when it happens."

"The Aurion way," Yuan jested sardonically. "…are you worried about Lloyd?"'''

Kratos sighed again, "…of course I am."

Lloyd couldn't listen anymore, and he backed away from where his father and Yuan were still talking. He knew Kratos was right in saying that they could only take what was coming head-on, but he wished he could have some forewarning. He sighed and leaned against the side of the inn as Noishe rounded the corner and gently nudged Lloyd's leg with his nose.

"…thanks, Noshy," Lloyd smiled down at his oldest friend. "…why couldn't things be easier?"

Noishe gave him a look that plainly said that he didn't care for Lloyd's numerous problems as long as he got his breakfast.

…

It was midday when the dragons they were to ride to the Tower were ready, and Lloyd found himself sitting with Raine perched behind him. Her arms encircled his middle and Raine said quietly, "Are you alright, Lloyd? You seem distracted…"

Lloyd, whose mind had been everywhere but focused on the back of the dragon's head before him, jumped slightly at her sudden intimacy and voice. He turned slightly to look at her, then sighed, "I'm okay, I guess…just worried…"

"…what did Colette—"

Raine couldn't finish her question as at that moment, the man who was lending them the dragons swatted the behind of Lloyd's and the beast waddled awkwardly forward before leaping off of the top of Hima's mountain and gracefully gliding into the empty air before them. Kratos and Colette's dragon was already almost a mile in front of them. Lloyd struggled to stay balanced as the beast's wings beat, and he was only able to look behind at Raine, and further in the distance Genis and Sheena, as their dragon followed behind.

"What else did Colette tell you?" Raine repeated her question, this time loudly so as to be heard over the wind.

"What do you mean?" Lloyd called back to her. He had an unfortunate feeling he knew where this conversation is going.

"…has she told you what will happen after she is made a full angel?"

No. No she hadn't, but that didn't stop Lloyd from knowing. It never did, and that was perhaps why he felt so sick. He shook his head, "No," he said only as loudly as it would take for her to catch the words as the wind blew them away, "but I know…"

"Then you understand that she _has_ to go through with this, despite our…wishes to the contrary. For the sake of all the world—_all_ of Sylvarant—Colette must sacrifice herself. She will be taken to heaven with Remiel, she will become a true angel…"

"…Raine…" Lloyd hesitated a moment, "…I know. I just wonder…that's a lot of pressure to put on a kid…"

Professor Sage remained silent, and Lloyd glanced back at her after a moment, only to see the top of her head as she stared down at her lap and his lower back. He knew she was deep in thought; from the beginning, Raine had questioned the implications of forcing a young woman, or any person, to sacrifice themselves for the world. What Goddess would ask such a thing? But Raine had always been a believer in Martel, had never felt the need to question the Goddess before the Journey, and it was against the grain to begin now.

They rode in silence for several minutes; Lloyd tried to keep all of his senses open, his hearing above the wind, in case Kvar decided to attack. Nothing came at him, nothing was heard, and Lloyd almost wanted to believe that Yuan was simply worrying too much, or that Yggdrasill's angels were able to hold off whatever Desian forces were approaching. They began to lose altitude and Lloyd's ears popped as Kratos and Colette's dragon flew past them with a shriek.

The dragon landed awkwardly, hobbling across the flat area before the Tower of Salvation like a one-legged crow. Lloyd leapt off, then helped Raine down before their dragon turned tail and returned to the skies as well. Raine ran off toward the stairs that wound up to the Tower of Salvation's entrance, but Lloyd stayed still for a moment, listening for the sounds of war echoing over the crags and hills, but the only sound was that of the wind.

He turned hesitantly to follow his teacher toward the Tower. Kratos and Colette were nowhere to be found, but Lloyd was not surprised. Kratos knew that Kvar may be attacking, and had taken the Chosen into, bizarrely, the safest haven available. Lloyd watched Sheena and Genis land and join them at the top of the stairs.

"Where are Colette and Kratos?" Genis panted.

"The door is open; they must have already gone inside. Come, let's follow them." Raine led the way into the Tower of Salvation, Lloyd brining up the rear. He looked behind him at the empty, open field and felt a sense of…nothing. The field was empty, there were no signs of hostile mana thought the Tower, everything was silent. Part of him screamed that it must have meant something worse was coming, but…

"…come what may, I guess…" Lloyd whispered to the air.

They hurried up the stairs, Lloyd keeping all of his senses open as they did so, but there was quite literally nothing that was coming after them. The Tower was as massive on the inside as it was on the outside. The emptiness seemed to stretch upward forever, the emerald steps that the group followed upward were suspended in the nothingness. Lloyd didn't let himself look down even as his friends exclaimed in shock over the coffins that floated below them

He pushed though his stopped friends toward the warp that would take him to Colette and Kratos. Lloyd left the others behind as he continued up the stairs and warped into the altar room.

The scene that met him was an image that was forever burned into his mind; Colette knelt on the raised altar, her hands clasped before her and her head bowed. Remiel floated above her. The angel's blue eyes were no longer filled with concern, but excitement and greed.

"Colette!" Lloyd shouted and Colette started and looked over her shoulder. Every line on her face was filled with sorrow as she silently shook her head and returned her gaze to Remiel. "Colette…" he sighed her name.

"Chosen One," Remiel boomed, "it is time for you to make the ultimate sacrifice—the loss of your heart and memory—and become a true angel. In doing so, you will begin the Regeneration of your world!" The angel was full of confidence and the smile he sent down at Colette was merciless.

"…what do you mean Colette's going to lose her heart and memory…?" Genis gasped from behind. Lloyd had been so focused on Colette and Remiel that he had not noticed the entrance of the others. "But…that makes it sound like Colette's going to forget us…"

"Genis," hissed Raine, "that's enough! Colette has to go through with this, it will save the world…" Despite her words, even Raine sounded unsure.

"It seems so cruel…" Sheena whispered. "…does this mean…does this mean Colette's going to die?"

"It is not cruel if you remember what it is she is doing with her sacrifice. The Chosen will regenerate the World, the Desians will flee, and Martel will awaken again…" His smile became more twisted.

Genis gasped as Raine nodded solemnly, "Becoming an angel means giving up one's human existence… To become an angel, Colette must die."

Sheena and Genis both roared in horror, but Lloyd stayed silent. "How could you let this happen, Raine?" Genis cried, "Colette's our friend! We can't ask her to do this! Lloyd, help!"

Lloyd only shook his head and Genis looked away, horrified.

"…Lord Remiel," Raine spoke up, "We have heard that a world called Tethe'alla lies adjacent to Sylvarant, and that it will decline as Sylvarant did if Colette completes the Regeneration. Is there a way to save both worlds?"

This, it appeared, was not a hitch that Remiel had prepared for as his face reddened slightly and his smile widened brutally. "…these are not affairs for mortals…however…" Remiel hesitated, as if thinking over his answer, "If the revival of both worlds is what the Chosen wishes, then Martel will surely listen to her wishes and give mana to both worlds."

Below Remiel, Colette gasped softly and the angel looked down at her. "Is this true, you ask? You may well be capable of convincing Martel, but you_ must,"_ he stressed the word, "become a true angel in order for your wishes to be recognized."

There was no hesitation as Colette nodded this time. The Chosen pulled out her wings and rose to meet Remiel. The other angel reached out and prodded Colette's key crest, and even as Colette looked over her shoulder to see her friends one last time, the light died from her eyes and her eyelids closed.

_I'm sorry, Lloyd…please, take care of this world in my place…_

Her voice echoed in his head and, for the first time since deciding to take this journey back in time, Lloyd felt tears of sorrow slip down his cheeks. Colette's body flapped its wings rhythmically and, but it was only that movement that spoke of it still living. In that moment, watching his best friend flutter mindlessly, something in Lloyd broke. He had let his friend lose her soul a second time; he had truly gone through with this.

Never before had he admitted it, never before had he realized that he would really let this happen. To watch nameless people be taken to Ranches and murdered, even to see most of Iselia destroyed, was one thing. He had somehow managed to part himself from reality. But this, to have let this happen to his friend once again, was unacceptable.

He was a monster, willing to make any sacrifice as long as he reached his end.

Lloyd felt as lifeless as Colette. Remiel was speaking, his tone no longer the soothing sounds of an angel, but threatening. Lloyd felt his hands grasp his swords, pull them from their sheaths, he even heard himself say something, but he could hardly hear himself.

It took Kratos stepping out onto the altar prematurely to bring him back. "Enough, Remiel," Kratos hissed and for a very surreal moment, Lloyd was the naïve, innocent boy who had first stepped into the Tower of Salvation, thanking the powers above that Kratos had stepped in to save them. Then reality reared its head and Lloyd realized with horror that whatever was coming, it was only going to damn them further.

"Enough," Kratos hissed, his blade pressed into Remiel's back. The burst of light mana at the angel's fingertips flickered out. "Your stupidity puts the Chosen in danger. You know the risk posed by the Desians, we cannot afford to waste time." The commanding tone came naturally to Kratos, and Remiel seemed to shrink beneath his gaze.

"I-I apologize, Lord Kratos…" whispered Remiel, clearly shaken.

"Kratos?" Raine asked slowly, "What do you think you are doing…?" Despite that Kratos had clearly saved them from battling Remiel, Raine could see that the mercenary was changing sides.

"Now is not the time for apologies," the Seraph snapped, completely ignoring Raine. "Your usefulness has reached its end."

Kratos' expression never changed as his sword blossomed from Remiel's chest. His holy robes were stained scarlet and his mouth opened into a wide _o_. He had clearly not guessed that Kratos would end him, at least not like this. The last things that the angel saw before the light left his eyes were Colette's own, soulless eyes.

Genis was screaming and Sheena shouted in shock behind Lloyd. He jerked, blinking, still feeling as if he had been in a trance. He and Raine both only looked up at Kratos, questions written across his face. Or were there? Lloyd had accepted this death long ago, but he knew he should be surprised and forced his mouth to drop too late.

"What is going on, Kratos?" Raine asked loudly over the continued exclamations of Raine and Genis. "What have you done?"

The Seraph's eyes closed and Lloyd heard him sigh. Exhaustion flickered though his face, but it was so quick that Lloyd would have believed he had imagined it had he not known his father as well as he did. Kratos' red eyes opened and they were emotionless. "I am an angel of Cruxis," he said in substitute of an answer, "one of the Four Seraphim who rule over the world. I was sent to guard the Chosen in her Journey."

Kratos sighed and his silver-blue wings unfurled from his back. They lit his features hauntingly and he looked at the group with pure contempt. Genis, Sheena, and Raine gasped loudly, all, suddenly, incoherent.

Raine finally managed coherency, "And yet you killed Lord Remiel; your motives make no sense…"

"My motives are my own. What matters now is that I am taking the Chosen to Derris-Kharlan, where she will be used as a vessel for Martel." Suddenly, Kratos' eyes were on Lloyd, begging him to understand what he was doing. Lloyd realized that he had to say something.

"D-Kratos, you can't do this; you can't take Colette!" His hands were still on his swords and he stepped forward almost aggressively. "We won't let you! Martel, the angels, these Seals, it's all just a bunch of shit, isn't it? I'm not gonna let you take Colette off somewhere I don't know and hurt her!"

Even as Kratos focused his sword on Lloyd, his shoulders seemed to slump. "That is not possible, Lloyd…" They were going to have to fight, even if they had avoided Remiel, Kratos would never allow them to take Colette without a fight. And this was the way it had been last time... Lloyd's father seemed to realize this as well as he leapt lightly to the floor. "I cannot allow it."

Lloyd focused his swords on Kratos and, no longer able to stand the suspense, charged. Their swords met with a clang and Lloyd found himself shoved back several feet. He ran at Kratos again only to dodge several precise swings that nicked his shoulders and upper arms. Lloyd stumbled backward, then gasped as he felt mana crackle over his head and he flung himself out of the way as lightning fell around Kratos. Lloyd was blinded for a moment, but when Genis' lightning attack and his vision had cleared, he saw that Kratos had simply cast Guardian and was totally unharmed.

Sheena dashed around Lloyd, a seal in each hand. She dodged his first attack, but Kratos' sword met its mark on her hip. A red gash bled through the black fabric that sheathed the ninja's legs and she stumbled backward. As she retreated, Lloyd furiously took up the attack. His swings weren't so skilled as Kratos', but all of the pent up frustration he had been building for weeks made his attacks stronger and he was soon giving as many nicks as he received.

He got lucky, a slash across Kratos' back as the Seraph dodged both Sheena's attack and Genis' Cyclone spell. He gasped in pain and rounded on Lloyd even as Lloyd's eyes widened and he gasped "Sorry!" Lloyd's apology only registered as Kratos' sword cut into his neck and shoulder. Lloyd dropped his swords; his uninjured hand jumped to the wound and he stumbled backward once again.

Raine raced forward, gels in her hands and healing magic at her fingertips, but even as she did so, Kratos artfully side-stepped another attack from Genis and put a jagged slice in Sheena's back. Raine's concentration and her healing spells fell apart as Kratos charged at Genis who, mid-way though a spell, was completely unable to defend himself.

"Genis!" the Professor screamed. Lloyd wasn't sure how, but her scream reached Genis' ears and his eyes flew open and he stumbled backward in time to miss the swing that could have beheaded him. Lloyd was moving without thought as he tackled Kratos away from his friend, but his arm was still useless and Kratos threw him off and when Lloyd's eyes opened next, the first thing he saw was Kratos' sword at his chest. Kratos' eyes widened as he realized what he would have to do. He looked about to put his sword down when Yggdrasill spoke from behind.

"I should have known better than to expect you to be able to finish this, you always were too soft." His words were somewhere between teasing and scathing. How long he had been watching, Lloyd couldn't have said, but his shock was profound.

Kratos' face went pale, "Lord Yggdrasill…" A dozen emotions were crammed into two emotionless words. "What are you doing here?"

"Reminding you of your own words, old friend…" Yggdrasill's perfect lips pulled upward into an ironic little smile. He was beautiful, even Lloyd had to admit it, but it was a dark, terrifying beauty. There was a slightly feminine sway to his gait as he walked forward to where Colette fluttered lifelessly. He reached out and caressed her cheek, "Remember, Kratos, we are threatened, we do not have time to fight…"

"Who the hell's _this_ guy? Another angel?" Sheena hissed from across the room where she was nursing her leg.

From the floor, Lloyd couldn't help but chuckle, "That's a good question, who the hell_ are _you?"

Yggdrasill's sharp, blue eyes focused on Lloyd, who was still looking up his father's sword. "…I take it you are Lloyd…the resemblance is just as Yuan said—uncanny. But you are not my concern today. Kratos, come, we have work to do."

"But, my Lord, you haven't answered their questions yet! How rude, to send your guests away with unanswered questions…" Kvar warped into the room looking entirely relaxed. "Honestly, did you think your little army could stop me? I have ways around these things, though I'm sure only Lloyd understands just how powerful I've become."

All eyes were on Lloyd now and he carefully slipped from under his father's sword and sat up, "Son of a bitch…" he sighed, but Lloyd could help but smile slightly. He hadn't been wrong to worry about Kvar showing up, he hadn't just been stupid and jumpy, and that was a real comfort. Yes, he was faced with Kvar again, but this was another chance to destroy him, and, theoretically, he now had Kratos and Yggdrasill to help him.

Yet, as Lloyd pulled himself to his feet, he realized he had no swords and there was still a large wound in his shoulder. He was in worse condition than he had been last time they had faced off.

"You shouldn't have come, Kvar," Yggdrasill snapped, all the composure that he portrayed fell apart when faced with the man who intended to stop Martel's revival and end his reign. "Surely you must know better than to try to face _me."_

"On the contrary, my Lord Yggdrasill, you should know better than to toy with me when I control more than half of your Desian troops. My men—_mortal_ men—have utterly destroyed your angels. Your power is collapsing, I would suggest giving in while you have the chance, or you and your precious sister will meet again in the afterlife."

Before even Lloyd could register what was happening, Mithos had sent a blast of light mana at Kvar who had somehow managed to doge and send lightning back at the leader of Cruxis. Kratos roared with fury and slashed through the lightning. Suddenly, Lloyd found himself in the middle of a massive war between three immense powers. He thought he heard screaming somewhere—perhaps Genis' screaming, or Mithos' screams of rage…

He forced himself down and tried to crawl under the battle, but his shoulder pulled and stung, begging to be allowed to give in. Lloyd was about ready to do just that, the energy that he had pulled from some tiny corner of his being had already depleted. His eyes began to close as exhaustion from stress and adrenaline crash took over his limbs when he heard his name being screamed over the explosions of lightning and light over his head.

"Dammit! Where the hell is he?" It was an accent Lloyd had thought he would never hear again, after that awful day at the Remote Island Human Ranch, he had known he would never hear the bold, calming sound of Botta's voice…

"Sir! Sir, look, there!" This voice was totally unfamiliar, "I think that's him!"

"…Gods, he's a mess. Borns, assist the others, I'll grab the boy. Pull back the first chance you get, and for mana's sake _don't_ get yourself killed!"

To Lloyd's dazed mind, this sounded like nonsense, utter dibble, and he could only lay there, pondering the orders that Botta's ghost had given. He felt strong hands under his shoulders as he was hefted into an upright position, "Damn, boy, you've gotten yourself into trouble this time," Botta grunted, feeling very far from ghost-like next to Lloyd. "Come on, Lord Yuan's expecting you. Head up, can't have you passing out on us, now can we?"

Despite the chaos around them, Botta sounded completely calm as he dragged Lloyd toward some sort of portal. A small thought registered in the back of his head that he couldn't help but voice, "My…friends…?"

"Got them already," Botta grunted.

This worry answered, Lloyd let himself slip into black oblivion.

…

_Can't believe I actually managed to get through this chapter. And before school started too! Can't guarantee when the next chapter will be up, but I'll do my best to update every two weeks, as always!_

_~Yoshi_


	29. Chapter 29

_Hello all!_

_This is once again a more-or-less explanation chapter, but it's the Return of the Whore! Which reminds me; I had a lot of questions about why Lloyd chose to call Yuan a whore in chapter 26. The answer? As far as this future that Lloyd comes from, Lloyd and Yuan got close, especially after Kratos' leaving with Derris-Kharlan. This explains why Lloyd was so willing to go to Yuan for help at the beginning of his little journey though time. It is just a strange inside joke between the two of them, and Lloyd being Lloyd, it was the first thing he thought of._

_And the last of my ramblings: Happy Birthday Zelda! Congratulations, you're officially a year older than you want to be. Love ya'!_

…

Lloyd opened his eyes to see Raine bending over him, her crystal eyes full of stress and worry. For a long moment, Lloyd couldn't remember where he was or how he had gotten there. There was only a creeping worry for his father, like something terrible had happened… It took a long moment before he remembered the battle at the Tower of Salvation; the battle with Kratos, Yggdrasill's entrance, and Kvar interrupting all exploded back into his memory.

He jerked upward, stopping just in time so as not to ram his forehead into Raine's. "What happened? Where are we?" His head spun even as he looked around to see Sheena's marred face, twisted with worry, Genis, while unhurt, appeared scared, and Colette's emotionally void visage. "Are you guys okay?"

Raine sighed in relief and sat back, "It appears that we came out better than you…except for Colette, unfortunately. How is your head?"

Lloyd ignored her question and crawled off of the bed that he had suddenly found himself on, and wandered toward Colette, again ignoring the spinning in his head. She stared ahead, looking vague and uninterested. Lloyd brushed her blond bangs out of Colette's face and sighed, "…where are we? Do you know what happened at the Tower?"

"…we don't know where we are, but it seems we were taken to safety by Desians… Considering, however, that it seems the Desians attacked the angels, I wonder that they haven't tried to kill Colette yet… Then again, from what I've observed so far, Colette only responds when she is threatened. Perhaps she is impossible to kill when in this state…"

"These guys aren't Desians…" Sheena said softly, and the others turned to look at her. As had become the norm, under scrutiny Sheena shrank back and looked away. "T-they're an organization called the Renegades…they're actually the ones who told the King and the Pope—the leaders of Tethe'alla—about Sylvarant, they're also how I got into Sylvarant in the first place. I don't know why they dress like Desians, maybe it's just so they fit in, or to scare people or something…"

"Interesting…" Raine murmured, "So then the question is, on whose side are these Renegades? Why did they save us if not a year ago, they hired an assassin to kill the Chosen?"

"A valid question, Ma'am, but one I will have to wait to answer," Botta chuckled as he entered the room.  
"For now, I must borrow Lloyd, our leader wishes to have a word. If you would be so kind as to follow me, I'll take you to him." Botta looked around at the three hostile faces and Lloyd's exhaustion. "Do not look so concerned: for now, we have orders not to hurt any of you, and the Chosen is, as you have discovered, very difficult to kill in her soulless state. We wouldn't dare try to hurt her under the circumstances."

"Alright, I'll come with you," Lloyd sighed, ignoring the worried looks that all of his friends shot at him. "See you guys later…" He followed Botta out into the hall, slightly surprised when no one stepped forward with handcuffs or something to hold him back if he tried to attack or get away. Instead, he was simply led down the hall to the door he recognized as Yuan's office.

Little had changed since his last visit, months ago. The furniture was still tacky and slightly larger than life, in a style that was clearly centuries old, if not older. Yuan sat at his desk, piles of paperwork covering the otherwise impersonalized surface. The Seraph, however, did seem slightly altered since the last time Lloyd had seen him: there were bags under his eyes and his skin was a chalky shade of pale. When he looked up at Lloyd, there was a slightly haunted look in his emerald eyes.

"Ah, Lloyd, we meet again. I wasn't sure you were going to pull through after Botta dragged you out of the Tower." He stood up from his chair and strolled confidently around the desk, only to lean against it and survey Lloyd skeptically. Perhaps he had not changed so much as Lloyd had first thought.

"Yeah, well, here I am. I'm starting to wonder where the hell_ you_ were back there! Dad could have died, or what if Kvar had done Mithos in?" In his sudden burst of emotion, Lloyd had forgotten that Botta was still standing beside him, but the Renegade's face showed no signs of shock, and Lloyd wondered suspiciously how much Yuan had told his second in command.

"After my misstep in Asgard, I decided to focus on the set plan." From some inside pocket, Yuan extracted a sheet of paper that Lloyd realized was the letter that he himself had passed on the last time he had been in this office. "I waited until the last minute to step in, a mistake, I am beginning to think, in hindsight. However, I am not sure how pleased Mithos would have been if the Renegades had stepped in to help him fend off Kvar." Yuan's face hardened slightly, "He was in denial for near a month that Kvar was rebelling, even after he openly claimed to have killed Pronyma… But you have heard about that…"

"I heard you tell Dad in Hima earlier…yesterday…whatever. So Mithos was pretty much unprepared then? What ended up happening at the Tower?"

"…" Yuan sighed, and the hardness fell from his features, leaving him looking tired again. It was as if he had pulled a mask away, "Kvar's Desians have taken the Tower of Salvation. While Kratos and Yggdrasill were able to escape to Derris-Kharlan, Kvar dealt a massive blow to Cruxis' stronghold. I've hesitated in commanding my men to do anything to this point, wanting to hear what you suggest. Kvar's army is growing stronger by the minute, Desians who were formerly doubting Kvar's power have seen the truth of it, and I believe many will sway their loyalties now that his power has been demonstrated. Any men that I had positioned in the Desian ranks have been called back for their own safety, so I have no news of the remaining four Cardinals."

"…wait, four? But Magnius _and_ Pronyma are dead, besides Rodyle, Kvar, and Forcystus, who else is there?" Lloyd blinked, he knew the faces, the evil of all of the Desian Grand Cardinals, who was this mysterious sixth?

"I was under the impression that you had met Lady Myrrh, one of Pronyma's little spies until recently when Yggdrasill had her put in charge of the Palmacosta Ranch, she vanished after you destroyed the Ranch. We assumed she was dead until Kvar announced his uprising. Now we're not sure."

"We have several sightings of Myrrh," Botta injected professionally, "since her supposed death by our spies, and it is generally believed by those who were formerly working in the Iselia Ranch that Forcystus had an escape plan in case his Ranch rebelled against him. We can assume for now that both are still alive, though on whose side the latter is on is in question."

"What the hell's Kvar offering that so many Desians are joining him?" Lloyd asked the Renegades. "Mithos was offering immortality, a world where half-elves rule; what about mayhem and chaos appealsto them?"

Botta smiled bitterly, "There are many Desians who would love anarchy and chaos on their own. They're the ones who joined the Desians young, or their parents were Desians, and grew up to love the insanities of war with a passion that is absolutely disgusting. And for the slightly saner, he has posed the idea that Yggdrasill has been lying to his Desians and has absolutely no intention of fulfilling his promise to make a world for the half-elves."

"So, the question remains, Lloyd," Yuan said softly. "What will you suggest we do?"

Lloyd looked between Yuan's blank face and Botta's suspicious one. Clearly Yuan hand not told his Second everything, but he waited for Lloyd's suggestions all the same. Finally, Lloyd spoke, "Well…you're not really gonna like this, but I say you offer to help Mithos take down Kvar's army. If you were to move upward from the bottom of the Tower and the angels from the top, you'd crush them. And I bet you can find some Desians that are still loyal to Cruxis, like Forcystus."

"You're too optimistic. Kvar clearly has some secret weapons he has yet to produce. For all we know, he could _want_ us to attack. Besides, I could hardly walk up to Mithos and tell him I am the leader of the Renegades. No matter the circumstances, I would be dead in seconds." Yuan crossed his arms again, and Lloyd wondered if the half-elf had already thought of these suggestions.

"…then…go up to Derris-Kharlan and offer what help you can _without_ giving your position away. Have the Renegades recruit as many Desians as you can. At the very least…try to keep Dad safe, have evacuation plans and stuff… Dad knows about the Renegades, but I don't think he'll turn you in after Kvar's attack. He'll be too distracted…"

Yuan had begun to nod slowly, as if this, too, was a plan he had conceived. "And what do you intend to do?"

"…well, I guess that depends; what has Kvar got going in Tethe'alla?" Lloyd's stomach was churning as he asked the question that had been on his mind front he beginning, but hadn't had the chance to ask it yet. If Kvar had gone so far in Sylvarant, what kind of armies did he have in Tethe'alla? Especially after he had taken control of the Tower…

"Nothing," Yuan said bluntly. "We've gotten no reports of any Desian activity in Tethe'alla; in fact, I believe it's actually decreased since Kvar began his takeover. Most of the contact was from Rodyle and Pronyma, and after Pronyma's death, her spies returned to Derris-Kharlan, and it seems Rodyle has pulled out as well, perhaps on Kvar's orders, or of his own accord. For all we know, he could be trying to keep those loyal to him close in case Kvar tries something or he decides to overthrow the bastard."

"Well…" Lloyd ran a hand through his hair, "I guess that's kinda good news. We need to get to Tethe'alla so we can heal Colette, and we've got…friends there."

"Wilder, Combatir, and Bryant, I am aware. However, what do _you_ intend to do about Kvar? You aren't just walking away from this war, not now."

"You don't get it, Yuan," Lloyd snapped, "we don't know what's going to happen here. Even if we _destroy_ Kvar, we would still have to stop Mithos and save the world! I was supposed to keep things as close as possible to the first time, which means we have to get over to Tethe'alla!" Lloyd was almost shouting, though it was only because Yuan seemed to be getting angry as well.

"Surely there is more than one way to do this. What with Kvar causing as much damage as he is, you cannot honestly tell me you are going to abandon this battle to us!"

"Look, between you and Raine, we went through a ton of different theories for what could happen, Raine did a _ton_ of research, she had all these things saying that if we could kill Kvar, time would start over or something—like all of this would be undone and time would start over from where it got messed with, or the world just might end. I just kept getting lectured about how I needed to keep things _as close to normal as possible."_ Lloyd's voice went up slightly as he imitated Raine.

"You're telling me that you've come back, changed a _substantial_ amount, and watched a _war_ start all without real knowledge of the damage you might be doing!" Yuan roared, looking utterly furious, his cheeks slightly flushed and his eyes like emerald fire. "You're as rash and stupid as your damn father!"

"Shut the hell up, Yuan! No one knew what was going on, hell, we're not even sure how Kvar _did_ any of this in the first place, 'cause I was pretty sure the bastard was _dead!" _ Lloyd was quite sure his face was red with fury and a headache was pounding behind his eyes between the injuries he had suffered at the Tower and the stress he was suddenly experiencing.

Yuan closed his eyes, looking irritated, but clearly trying calm down. "Is there any way for you to contact anyone to understand the implications of your actions?"

Lloyd snorted, "Don't you think I would if I could? I'm pretty much not even getting help from _Origin,_ 'cause he seemed to think this was too dangerous because once you go back and change something, it's over. Everything's been changed…"

"What exactly is that supposed to mean?" Yuan snorted.

"…" Lloyd glanced awkwardly at Botta who, though he remained silently professional, but was clearly very interested in what they were saying.

"Botta," Yuan commanded, having caught Lloyd's look, "we're nearly done here, if you could go fetch the other's, I'd appreciate it."

"Of course, sir." Botta turned, glancing at Lloyd quickly, questions now written blatantly over his face, but he left without another word.

As soon as the door closed, Lloyd elaborated. "Look, what I get from it is that as soon as I changed the past, the future changed too. Even the little stuff had effects on the future, and the big stuff, like me telling you about the future or Kvar showing up in Iselia, totally changed the future. Even if I had some sort of communicator that could call home through time, the version that I come from doesn't exist anymore because of something about shifting planes in time and alternate universes and this is where they lost me…"

Yuan blinked, but what Lloyd was saying seemed to be checking out with his own understanding of the way time and space worked. "…so you ultimately must both defeat Kvar and attempt to save the world from Mithos' clutches, all while keeping everything as close to normal as possible…" he mused. "While you leave the frontal battles to Cruxis and the Renegades, you will collect what you need for the Ring of the Pact and defeat both Kvar and Mithos with the Sword and your pact-maker?"

"…uh, as far as I'm concerned, yeah. That's pretty much the plan!" It was a strange feeling being on the same page as Yuan, but here they both seemed to be.

"Fine," Yuan snapped, suddenly brisk and very much the Yuan Lloyd knew, "but if we need you on the front lines, I'll drag you there myself. I assume you're giving me permission to do whatever I wish in my interaction with Cruxis?""

"…I was allowed to _not_ give you permission to do whatever you want?" Lloyd blinked. "Do whatever, if you wanna walk up to Mithos and outright tell him you're the leader of the Renegades, have fun. Just so long as you think it'll work, go for it."

The door opened behind him, and Botta strolled in, followed by several soldiers and the rest of Lloyd's friends. It seemed he'd hurried along to collect the others and come back quickly in the hopes that he could catch the tail end of their private conversation.

"Lloyd, are you alright?" Raine asked, sounding touchingly worried.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Yuan and I were just trying to decide what we're gonna do next…"

The rest of the group looked rather confused by this statement and eyed Lloyd carefully. "What do you mean you were trying to decide what we are going to do…?" Raine asked slowly. "Lloyd, do you know this man?"

"He's the one who ordered me kidnapped in Triet," Lloyd shrugged, "I broke into his office, this is where you guys saved me, remember?" He couldn't manage a decent lie at the moment, so he only stood there and waited for Raine to start demanding answers.

She disappointed him, "If these people aren't Desians, then what do they want from us?" Raine turned to Yuan, her crystal eyes carefully not conveying any real emotions. "If you hired Sheena to kill the Chosen, why did you save us from the Desians?"

Yuan chuckled, "Call it choosing the lesser of two evils, Ms. Sage. To watch Kvar have his way could well have been worse than Yggdrasill's wishes succeeding. Or so that is our understanding." For the first time, Lloyd was more than willing to step back and let Yuan construct the lies they would need to get out.

"How is it that anyone can possibly conceive of attacking the angels?"

"The Desians and Cruxis are—were—the same organization." Yuan stood straighter and began to pace, "Yggdrasill used the Desians to control the declining world while he waited for the Chosen to be born and sacrificed to Martel. In recent months, however, Kvar has rebelled against his superiors and is leading the Desians in a battle against Cruxis. They have taken the Tower of Salvation." Yuan paused to look at Raine's face; her expression now hinted at slight shock.

"Why should we take your word for it?" Raine snapped, her silver eyebrows disappearing into her hairline. "You've taken us prisoner, your men dress like Desians, and in the past you've kidnapped Lloyd. We've no reason to trust you or anything you say."

"Raine, he's telling the truth. You heard the way Kvar talked to Mi—Yggdrasill, they knew each other. Even if you don't believe that we can trust Yuan, which I don't think I do considering you've tried to kill me _way_ too many times, you can at least admit that what he's saying is true. And Kratos obviously knew Kvar and he's…in Cruxis…so…so that makes sense too…" Lloyd sighed. "Right now we have to at least listen, 'cause I don't think we've got any other choices."

Lloyd's teacher looked angry, but not nearly so furious as Genis and Sheena. The young half-elf turned on Raine, who seemed prepared to hear Yuan out if only because Lloyd was, and seeing his sister's face, snapped angrily, "There's no _way_ we're going to trust you if you've tried to kill Colette _and_ Lloyd! Why would the angels and the Desians be working together? You're probably just lying to give us a false sense of security or something! Then you'll turn around and kill us." His features, so much like his sister's, were dark.

"That's enough Genis," Raine snapped. "We've been in their power for hours now and they've yet to hurt us, clearly they have something to gain from giving us this knowledge."

"I see why you decided to listen to her, Lloyd," Yuan said sarcastically, "it seems she is the only one of your friends with any sense."

"Oh shut_ up_ Yuan. Are we going to go save Colette or not? Cause if we don't figure this out soon, Kvar'll probably do worse than just take over the stupid frigging Tower. We've probably been out at least a few hours, and something tells me _he's_ not sitting around arguing with people."

"You know how to save Colette?" Sheena said suddenly, "How? What's even _wrong_ with her? Nobody's told us anything, how are we supposed to _do_ anything?"

"It's Colette's Cruxis Crystal, they're like exspheres, and it's been causing all of Colette's weird side effects, including her soul leaving. It's not really gone, just trapped inside the Crystal. With the right key crest, she could probably be called back." Lloyd felt as though he was trying to explain as quickly as possible. "Course, we don't have the supplies we would need to make a crest in Sylvarant, which is why I think we should go to Tethe'alla. It's the flourishing world, so I'm sure we could figure something out. I could make her a crest…"

"Why should we trust _you_ with Colette?" Genis snapped, "You're actually bothering to _listen_ to this bastard even though he's tried to kill you!"

"Genis, Colette's my_ friend;_ of course I want to save her! We have the same goals as Yuan, we want to stop Kvar and figure out a way to save both Tethe'alla _and_ Sylvarant, and apparently Cruxis won't do that, so we have to figure something else out! The Renegades'll help us!"

Genis looked ready to continue arguing, Sheena was clearly not sold on listening to the Renegades, but Raine almost seemed prepared to hear them out, or even act. Lloyd wasn't sure of her reasoning, or even if he was interpreting her emotions correctly, but he felt infinitely grateful. Her support would mean Genis would come along even if he didn't agree with Lloyd fully, and Sheena had nowhere to go but with them. The situation was still salvageable.

"I can offer you transportation to Tethe'alla where you can make further decisions once you know the options open to you, agreed?" Yuan suggested simply.

"I'm in," Lloyd said simply. "It's the only way."

"…I will go as well. If Tethe'alla offers us a chance to help Colette and learn more about Cruxis, than I will help Lloyd," Raine was nodding, not looking at Genis, but over the boy's head to Colette's empty face.

"…" Sheena looked first at Lloyd, then down at Genis, and finally at Colette as well. "…I have to go back to Tethe'alla anyway. I failed to assassinate the Chosen, I have to report to Mizuho about my failure." She swallowed, looking pained, "I'll help you guys get to Tethe'alla at least. What you do there is up to you, then."

"You guys can't be serious!" Genis cried angrily. "You're really going to trust the guys who've tried to _kill_ us?"

"Genis, we have no other options. You are coming with us…aren't you…?" For the first time, Raine showed signs of fear. If Genis didn't come, she wouldn't leave him behind on his own. For an instant, Lloyd saw a very terrifying future in which he took Colette on his own to Tethe'alla. He couldn't imagine it without his friends…

"…you-…you know I can't let you go alone…fine, I'll go…but I don't like it."

"Then I'll take you to the Rheiards. Botta, send word ahead." Yuan nodded to his second, then turned to several of his other men and began giving orders.

They were off to Tethe'alla.

…

_Like I said, a chapter of explanations, but set-up's gotta happen sometime, right? Hopefully my updates will continue biweekly, but I'll forewarn if anything huge is approaching and I won't be able to update. Until then,_

_R&R_

_~Yoshi_


	30. Chapter 30

_Hello all! Sorry this one took a bit longer than I planned, school decided to explode all at once, but I managed to finish it anyway!_

_I get to write Zelos…I forget how much fun that is! Until he shows up and starts flirting with everything in sight, you just forget how entertaining he is! And, at least for me, he writes himself. Excepting Kratos, he is my favorite character, the most complex, one of the most dynamic, and one of the funniest; I should do a character study for him sometime, because he's _fantastic!

…_I can't tell if I'm fangirling or studying him… That's not healthy. Anyway, on with the chapter!_

…

"So you're going then?" Lloyd looked to Sheena, her brown eyes uncertain. Her marred face was still almost unrecognizable; marching into Mizuho would be one of the hardest moments of her life. "…you sure you don't want us to go with you?" As much as Lloyd advocated for the timeline, it was his fault this had happened to Sheena.

"No, you have to take care of Colette, and…to be honest, I'm not sure if I totally agree with what you're doing. I want to go home." Her voice quieted and she sighed softly, "For now, I think our best option is splitting up and making our next moves separately. I'm sure we'll meet again." She smiled, and Lloyd tried to pretend that the gesture brightened her face.

Raine nodded politely, "Then, Sheena, we wish you luck and a safe journey." Lloyd and Genis both chorused goodbyes, and Lloyd privately noted that Genis looked very sad about her going. He had never noticed their talking or bonding, but at the Tower and in the Renegade base, they had seemed to be on the same page. Perhaps Genis felt his sway in the group was leaving with the raven-haired ninja.

"I guess this is it…" Lloyd said as they turned back toward the open gates set into the high stone walls that surrounded Meltokio. "Should be fun, eh?" He attempted a smile, but it fell flat on the newly depressed Sage siblings and soulless Colette.

Despite his roots being in Sylvarant, in the tiny rural community of Iselia, Lloyd felt more at home in Meltokio than he had anywhere in his world. This was, he knew, due largely to the fact that he had spent most of his time since the completion of the Journey traveling both worlds to where he was needed to help with keeping the peace and making public appearances. It was a superficial life, and he had become more of a figurehead for peace between Sylvarant and Tethe'alla, but at least he still got to travel. He had spent quite a bit of time in and around Meltokio, and more often than not staying with Zelos.

Yet it was something more than that that made Lloyd feel at home: Meltokio was completely untouched by Kvar's outreaching plans—whatever they were—and it was the same as Lloyd ever saw it. As Raine and Genis looked around a city bigger than any they had encountered before, it wasn't hard for excitement and wonder to shine in Lloyd's eyes as well. The capitol city's paths were paved with a bright stone that made a solid _thunk_ sound and the air smelt of the urban life. The scents of a dozen different foods wafted down one street while the grimier factory smells that made Lloyd's eyes water blew from another.

The group took a set of stairs that led up toward the housing for the rich and powerful. A great shout let up from the coliseum that was carried to them on the wind. They walked out onto the public square; little vendors roamed around selling foods and novelties.

Lloyd was searching, but even without all of his acute senses focused on finding the Chosen of Tethe'alla he was difficult to miss. If Zelos' mane of rich, red hair didn't catch one's attention, the loud gaggle of girls laughing and flirting would have. He was leading a band of noble women, though Lloyd was quite sure he saw a few peasants in the straggle, backwards, like a tour guide. Lloyd paused and watched as the flamboyant Chosen leaned against a booth, careful not to stain his immaculate clothes, and made some small comment that sent the girls into a twitter of feminine laughter.

It was, he realized, _nice_ to see his friend again. After their initial distrust when Zelos had joined the group, Lloyd had learned to appreciate his…_interesting_ sense of humor. On a good day he could even laugh at a few of the Chosen's forced jokes. It had, however, been after Zelos' betrayal at the Tower of Salvation and then his attempts to save them that had brought the two men closer. The Chosen had been right: Lloyd had never felt the need to understand Zelos or his motives up until that point, and had vowed to change that.

At the last moment, Lloyd realized that he had made the same mistake twice: in being so overwhelmed with nostalgia and the sights and sounds of Meltokio, he had let Colette wander away from the group. Part of him had thought of awkward situation beforehand, but he felt no need to change it. As Colette's awkward marching continued, she walked right into the gaggle of women and her shoulder rammed gracelessly into the booth, sending bowls of some sort of spicy stew to the ground and splattering the skirts of the noblewomen around. Zelos stumbled slightly, catching himself, but the women rounded viciously on Colette, whose wings had erupted out of her back when she had stumbled.

"You little bi—_horror!"_ growled one girl, checking her language in public. "You've completely ruined my dress! How _dare_ you?" Her voice was high and insolent, but Colette only stared forward with blank eyes, her expression never shifting. "Well! Have you_ really_ nothing to say!"

Even as Zelos strolled forward and Raine, Genis, and Lloyd all raced to their friend's aid, three more girls, all of which had little brown splatters across the bright fabric of their skirts rounded on Colette, murder in their eyes. "Look at you!" another criticized. "You're a disaster waiting to happen! Do you honestly think you can pay for these dresses? _Hmm?"_

"Well, _look_ at her, she's clearly completely dense, I mean, she's dressed up like an angel, and the festival isn't for another month!" The girl—she couldn't have been over fifteen—flipped her long hair over her shoulder and snorted sarcastically, "How _tacky."_

"Ladies, ladies, please! There's no need to fight, there's more than enough of me to go around. Besides, she makes such a cute little angel, it's no wonder she's already dressed up! Besides, who _doesn't_ wish it festival all year 'round?" Flamboyant, cocky, dripping with confidence, Zelos Wilder strolled up to Colette and smiled strikingly. He was the closest thing Lloyd had even seen to a "prince charming" and it was absolutely _disgusting._ "Now, my pretty little angel, what can the great Zelos do for you?"

He put his hand on her shoulder, but in the same moment, Colette had already pulled it away and her arm jerked him away from her, sending him stumbling back into the booth she had tripped over the moment before. Zelos, however, was substantially more graceful than his Sylvaranti counterpart, and caught himself against the wooden booth, even managing to catch a bowl of stew that he sent tumbling off of the table. "Wow, someone's not very friendly!" he said jokingly, but Lloyd, practiced with Zelos, could see both unease and a calculating shrewdness in his eyes.

"We're very sorry, sir," Raine said politely, carefully taking Colette's hand and pulling her away from the still-angry female mob and the chuckling Chosen of Tethe'alla. "Our friend hasn't been feeling well lately, it's made her…_moodier_ than usual. I apologize for her rash actions." As always, Raine was in complete control of herself, and even Zelos' companions seemed to shrink away from the power that was Professor Sage.

"Yeah," Lloyd added, breaking the tension and offering a hand to Zelos to help him up, "really sorry." Zelos took the offered hand, but his eyes stayed totally focused on Raine and Colette.

"Nah, it's all good! Who can stay mad at a pretty girl? Especially when such a lovely maiden comes to her rescue…" Completely ignoring Lloyd, to which the latter could only roll his eyes, Zelos swaggered with all the pompous confidence of a mating peacock over to Raine and grasped one of her tanned hands in his own Gloved fingers. "Oh beautiful lady, for a kiss, I promise I'll forgive you!"

Raine raised an eyebrow and took a step back, "I hardly this that is necessary…" Despite her words, she gave him a small smile. "Now, we had better be going, we've important business to attend to…" The Professor began collecting her students and Lloyd allowed himself to be shuffled away with Genis and Colette.

"Don't know why we offered to help _that_ ass; he grinned the whole time, like it was some kinda joke! Bastard…" Genis grumbled, his eyes dark as he glanced over his shoulder at the backs of the girls.

"Genis, that's enough. We've come to Tethe'alla for help, the last thing we want to do is insult its populace as our first act upon arrival. Just because Yuan agreed to help us despite his animosity does _not_ mean the repeat will occur. Besides, haven't I taught you anything? Manners are never bad form." Raine narrowed identical crystal eyes at her brother and her arms crossed, the staff she held bobbing threateningly in her right hand.

"Chill, guys, seriously…" Lloyd said, stepping between the siblings. "Okay, so the guy's an ass, it's not like we'll ever have to deal with him again, so let's just move on…" The irony may have slipped slightly into his words as both Sages have him a look that was more suspicion than anger. "Come on, we've got to focus on helping Colette, remember? We go to Tethe'alla Castle, see if they can help us?"

The plan was similar to what they had attempted the first time, the change being that instead of Sheena having written the letter, it was Yuan who had penned the request for assistance. Lloyd doubted that this would change how Tethe'alla received them. All the same, they had to begin somewhere.

"Shut up Lloyd," Genis growled, only to be smacked over the head by Raine's staff.

"Genis Sage," Raine snapped, "that is _enough._ What has gotten into you lately? You've been angry constantly since the Tower of Salvation, we're all worried about Colette, but you have not being helping anyone with your attitude!" She was angry, and Lloyd could relate. They were all suffering, but Genis had been channeling all of his fury into mean sarcasm and it was starting to get on his nerves.

"Hmm," Genis growled back, "maybe it's 'cause _no one_ has been listening to me! I didn't want to come here, I don't trust Yuan or the Renegades, _I_ think we should have tried something different, but nobody bothered to listen! You guys kept overruling Sheena and me, like you know any more than anyone else! Now we're in a new world, alone, trying to help Colette without a freaking _idea_ how to start! Can you _blame me?"_ The fury was evident in his voice, and Lloyd almost felt bad for having pushed his friend so far, but in the same breath, he felt irritated as well: he had worked hard to get them to this point.

"…Genis, this isn't something any of us _want_ to do," Raine said quietly, her voice dropping to a soothing murmur. "But what other choice do we have if we want to save Colette's soul? Clearly, Tethe'alla has advances far beyond our own; we couldn't realistically have found help for Colette in Sylvarant. Besides, how do we explain Colette's plight and the true nature of the church to people as desperate as those back home?" She was trying so very hard to appeal to Genis, but the child only glared back.

"You didn't listen," he growled. "You _never_ listen."

"Genis…" Raine murmured, "I'm sorry, but—"

"Let's just go," Genis snapped, "We've wasted enough time sitting around." He turned on his heel and stormed up another flight of stairs toward the gate that opened up to the castle grounds. Raine looked sadly after him.

"…" Lloyd took her hand, an action he thought slightly out of place for them, but she appeared to need it. "It's okay," he said softly and started walking again, Raine following behind. "He'll come around eventually, he's just scared, and I can't really blame him…"

"I…know," Raine admitted quietly, "it's just…I worry about him…" As if only then realizing that Lloyd was holding her hand, Raine pulled her fingers away from his and picked up her pace and quickly ascended the stairs behind her brother. Lloyd sighed and followed her, doubting they were going to like what they found in Tethe'alla castle.

The castle towered over them, it was made up of spiraling towers and intimidating walls of white stone. They ascended more steps to where two guards were blocking the doors, and were stopped by angry swords. "The King isn't seeing anyone right now," the bulkier of the men snapped. "I thought every idiot in the city knew that!"

"We are new," Raine said coolly, "and this is important. We have a letter—"

"Paper's not gonna do you a speck of good, or didn't you hear me?_ The King's not seeing anyone._ Unless you're with the Church, you're not coming in." The guard crossed his arms and Lloyd sighed; knowing that argument was useless he pulled Raine and Genis away before the latter could start arguing with the guard and get them thrown in prison.

"Kay, the bastards aren't gonna let us in," Lloyd said as he pulled his friends around the corner of the castle, toward the entrance to the Church of Martel that was attached to the castle. "So what do we do? Try to sneak in a different entrance?"

"We don't need to make enemies by sneaking in," Raine sighed, "but I don't have any idea what to do now…" She walked around the wall to glance at the guards again. "…they've switched shifts," she said softly, "at least that works in our favor…"

At that moment, the church doors opened, just as Lloyd had hoped, and Presea walked out, slowly dragging a log many times her size behind her. She moved with almost robotic movements as she skirted Lloyd and Genis and continued toward the castle doors. From the quick glance Lloyd got of her eyes, they were as blank as Colette's. Genis' eyes widened and lightened as they followed the pink-haired girl. Some things never changed.

Lloyd tried to make his face brighten, as if an idea had just struck him, and he hopped over Presea's log to walk in front of her. "Hey, excuse me, are you taking that to the castle?" He was walking backwards, turning on, as Zelos had once called it, his "charm." It was disconcerting to try to talk to Presea while she was still an empty shell.

Her eyes were wide and blank and blue when they turned on him. "Yes." Her voice was like an echoing sigh. Her lips, her eyes, no part of her face twitched with any emotion and Lloyd felt a small shiver go down his spine as those empty eyes blinked at him.

"Well…look, this is going to sound like a weird request, but can we help you bring it in? We've got a letter we need to deliver to the King, but the guards won't let us in, they won't even hear us out. Please, help us?"

"Lloyd, don't be rude!" Raine hissed,Then she glanced to Presea,"…please miss…"

"Presea," the girl said, every syllable with the same nonexistent enthusiasm.

"Presea," Raine continued, "I understand that this seems like a bizarre request, but our friend is in danger, this is her only chance…"

He couldn't have been sure, but he thought he saw something like compassion flicker in the deepest depths of the girl's eyes. "…come…" She dropped the log and stepped away. "Please carry that."

Lloyd jumped to do as he was told and Genis tried to help, but Genis' fingers, still childish and soft despite their Journeys, slipped and his eyes watered. Lloyd silently debated how best to handle this situation. He could impress his friends by lugging the log up the stairs and through the Church, or he could play it out as it had happened the first time.

He lugged, tensing his shoulders and letting the log stay laying. "H-holy shit this th-thing is heavy! Wait up! Raine, Colette, _wait!"_ he whined. He wouldn't have made friends had he picked the log up with one hand like he could have.

"Men are so useless these days…" Raine sighed and watched as Presea lugged the log across the perfectly tiled ground toward the new guards.

"Halt," growled the guard, then he recognized Presea. "Oh, it's you…but who are your friends, haven't seen them around before." He eyed the group suspiciously, but he was clearly not as hostile as the first guard had been.

"They are…new. Trainees…" Presea said dully, but her words and ton left no room for disagreement and the two guards exchanged a glance, but nodded and let the group through. As soon as they entered the palace, they were swept up in the flurry of activity that bustled around the castle. Maids rushed by, soldiers guarded every door, orders were shouted across several floors, but as Presea led the way toward the King's chambers, their voices seemed to die down to almost incessant whispers.

"Lloyd," Raine said softly, "you have the letter, yes?" When Lloyd nodded, her eyes focused forward again and their walking continued in silence until Presea stopped before a door guarded by two men.

"Who the hell are you?" the guard hissed under his breath.

Lloyd reached out quickly and pinched a nerve in the man's neck, his nimble craftsman's fingers slipping beneath the helmet just enough to reach the skin and he watched the shocked guard slump to the ground, his face hidden behind the metal helmet. "Sorry…" he muttered and threw open the doors.

Inside, the image that met his was almost exactly what he had expected, Zelos, the Pope, Hilda, and a handful of guards and priests all stood around the King's bed. The King himself, dressed in bedclothes more extravagant that Lloyd would wear to the fanciest party, lay in the middle of his massive bed, his cheeks pale and his eyes slightly watery from the poison that was slowly killing him.

The Pope and several of his personal guards rounded on them as the group filed awkwardly into the room. Around his ridiculously thick mustache he growled, "Who are you! How did you get in here?" His voice, as Lloyd remembered it, was explosive and rude. He rounded on his guards, "Who let them in here!"

"Uh…" Lloyd glanced at his friends, then back to the Pope, "We sort of let ourselves in. See, your guards wouldn't let us in and we've got a really important letter for the King, but no one would listen, so we pulled a few strings…" He attempted a smile, but it fell flat.

Finally, Zelos burst out laughing, "You're the lot from earlier! Who knew you were on your way here? Well, let's see this letter, if it's so important you run around breaking into castles!" He held out a black-gloved hand to accept the letter, but the Pope shoved himself between Lloyd and Zelos and tore the letter from Lloyd's fingers.

"Why should we be listening to you, you've just forced you way into the King's bedchambers!" He seemed about ready to rip the letter in two, his fingers were posed to tear it in two when Lloyd added quickly.

"It's from the Renegades, we're from Sylvarant, see?" He said it in one breath, trying to save the proof of their story.

Everyone in the room seemed to stop, all eyes focused on the group, several mouths dropped open, even Zelos and the Pope, caught mid-fight for the letter, paused and stared. "You…_you_ are from the dying world of Sylvarant?" he gasped. "But _how?"_

"Everything is in the letter," Raine pointed to the slip of paper in the Pope's grubby, grasping fingers.

Zelos plucked the letter out of the Pope's hands and opened it up with the sound of rustling paper and began reading through it, his eyes going between wide and narrowed and the Pope hurried to his side to read over his shoulder and even Hilda jumped to try to catch sight of it.

"…so, this should be interesting…" the Pope said softly, his gray, watery eyes fixing on Lloyd, then traveling around to eye each of the four companions behind him. "…guards, remove them until we reach a decision…" he commanded, despite, Lloyd mused, it being the King's job to give orders. All the same, the group went quietly and made their way out of the room and down the hall, escorted by guards, to a scarlet room where they were securely locked inside.

"…well," Raine sighed, sitting heavily on the bed that took up much of the rather large room, "that could have gone better." Her pessimism was reflected in Genis' eyes, and though it must have been Lloyd's imagination, he thought that the blue depths of Presea and Colette's eyes both echoed with concern. All Lloyd could think was that this was going exactly as it had last time, but this was hardly a comfort that he could share with his friends. Yuan's writing was far different that Sheena's and their reception was going to be based off of the half-elf's suggestion, and Lloyd had not seen the letter before handing it over to the Pope and Zelos…

He buried his face in his hands, only to look up when Genis spoke. "What about Presea? We pulled her into this without even telling her what was going on! If they try to kill us, we can't let her get hurt too!" His hands were clenched into fists at his sides and Genis looked unusually passionate—unusual at least compared to recent weeks, anyway.

"Yes, of course," Raine nodded, "Presea has done nothing to deserve any sort of punishment; we'll have to explain to them her situation… We've very sorry Presea…"

The girl stared blankly them, then said in perfect monotone, "I want to go home…" Raine nodded again and watched as Genis went over to try to talk to Presea, who only stared as he stuttered apologies and compliments.

It was almost three hours later that the door finally opened again and a dozen guards, followed by the Pope and Zelos, made their way into the room. Zelos clasped his hands together, a slightly bitter smile worming its way across his face, "Well, we've got good news and bad news. The good news is, we think we know how to help your cute little Chosen; the bad news is, it doesn't matter 'cause we're going to kill you."

"Wait, but Presea—!" Genis began, but his words were swept away by the loud clanking of men's armor as the soldiers raced toward them, their weapons raised threateningly, and Zelos and the Pope backed away, intending to let the men do their job.

Adrenaline rushed through Lloyd as he ran to try to help Colette, all thought wiped itself away, his swords were pulled from their sheaths, he had the mana to use one of his more advanced techniques at his fingertips. A guard reached Colette first, his sword raised—only to have the arm grasped and broken before being flung across the room by an empty-eyed Colette. She stopped each of her foes with just as much ease and mindless grace as the first and the Pope was forced to call his men off as several gasped and backed away from the angel.

"Back, back, move back!" he shouted only after several men had pushed around him to flee the room. There were only three of the bravest—or most idiotic—men left besides a laughing Chosen of Tethe'alla and the Pope still remaining in the room with the group. Genis, Raine, and Lloyd, all of whom had jumped up to help Colette, were standing staring at their once clumsy and peace-loving friend. Colette had stopped acting offensively as soon as the soldiers had stopped attacking, and was standing quietly once again.

"Well!" Zelos giggled. "I guess I was right! Told you we couldn't just take 'em down like this! Guess we're going with _my_ plan B!" He put his hands on his hips and smirked wildly at the Pope, thrilled with having one-upped the old man. "I win!"

The Pope ground his teeth together, absolute fury written across his face, but when he spoke it was with a painfully controlled tone that he managed to growl, "Fine. Yes. Take them then, Chosen One…" His was turning purple from holding his fury in. Without another word, the man quit the room, spinning on the heel of his decorated boot and strolling out.

It was with the same wide smile that Zelos turned back to the group, "Well, I guess we'll be spending a lot of time together, seeing as I'm your babysitter while you stay in Tethe'alla. This should be fun!"

Lloyd suddenly began to dread not reading Yuan's letter before handing it over.

…

_Finally got it done! What with all the school work that suddenly took over my life, this chapter ended up being a bit harder to write than you'd imagine. _

_R&R_

_~Yoshi_


	31. Chapter 31

_Once again, this is a chapter delayed by the copious amounts of homework and, well, life that are getting in the way of what is important—namely, fanfiction…_

_After reading my previous statement, I must admit there's something wrong with me. _

_Enjoy!_

…

As soon as Lloyd's backside hit the leather of Zelos' couch, he realized just how damn tired he was. His legs ached, his back ached, and his head and heart were still pounding from the day's events. He leaned back, closed his eyes, and sighed, and this releasing of breath was the only sound in the room apart from the hurried thumping of Raine and Genis' heartbeats and Zelos' more steady. Colette and Presea's hearts and breathing were both oddly slow. The Chosen of Tethe'alla sat himself gracefully in a chair matching Lloyd's couch and crossed his legs, the leaned forward, both elbows planted on one leg, to survey them over clasped hands.

"So…" he eyed the room, "Have a seat, please. I promise my furniture doesn't bite…" Lloyd opened his eyes and focused them on Zelos, trying to determine if he was being humorous or preparing to investigate. By the blatant curiosity in Zelos' periwinkle eyes, the answer to this question was obvious. "Well, I'm sure you saw this coming, but I've got a few questions to ask you."

Raine and Genis seated themselves, but Colette and Presea remained standing, their eyes betraying empty minds and their faces as blank as dolls'. Professor Sage eyed Zelos wearily. "We've nothing to hide, ask anything and we'll answer it to the best of our abilities…"

Listening to the defensive tone in Raine's voice and seeing the wariness in her features, it was no small wonder Zelos doubted the group's trust in him. If there was one thing Lloyd wanted to change, one small, nearly insignificant thing, it would be how included Zelos felt in the group. It was strange; Lloyd had gone so far out of his way to keep what he was beginning to know as the _timeline_ as close as possible to its original path, even going so far as to watch Colette lose her soul for a second time. Why then would he break this vow for Zelos' feelings?

Lloyd had pondered this answer since the idea of helping Zelos' transition into the group had entered his mind, and he always returned to the same answer: guilt. That Zelos had felt the need to betray them, perhaps even to _die _in order to finally gain acceptance with the group was a part of the past that weighed heavily on Lloyd. This was not to say that Colette's losing her soul, or Luin's and Iselia's destruction did not make him flinch with shame whenever he recalled the mistakes he had made, but they were, or so he had been told and was discovering for himself,_ vital_ to the timeline. Zelos' mindset was not so vital; it was practically insignificant when compared to the driving force that Colette became after the group tried to save her.

And, despite everything, Lloyd dearly wished he _could_ change some of his little mistakes: this was step one.

"So, how do you know Yuan?" Zelos went straight into his questioning. "I didn't know he did a lot of business on your side."

Before any of his friends could respond with hostility or indignation at Zelos' "your side" comment, Lloyd jumped in. "Oh, he's kidnapped me now…three times? Yeah, three, so he owed me. And after we found out about Cruxis, we kinda ended up being on the same side as the Renegades. They weren't going to just go and kill all of us, so we decided that as long as we didn't try to, you know, turn Colette over and Regenerate Sylvarant, they'd help us get over here and save her."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Zelos held out his hands as if it could stop the conversation. "What do you mean "found out about Cruxis"?" He raised a perfectly shaped red eyebrow, almost all of his attention focused on Lloyd now. "What do ya' mean, Red?"

"Lloyd," Lloyd corrected absently. "Kay, see, we were on the Journey of Regeneration, and…" He talked himself to a croak explaining everything they knew about Cruxis and the Desians. He knew Raine was giving him dirty looks and Genis was almost asleep, though equally as mistrusting as his sister, but Zelos was too absorbed in the tales to notice anything.

"Wow," he said when Lloyd had finished, "S' a lot to take in, Bud…" Zelos sat back, and Lloyd wondered just how much of his story really_ was_ new for Zelos. Certainly, the parts about the Desian uprising, and probably the ravaged cities must have been news. The rest, however, was simply reality to Zelos Wilder.

Raine was watching Zelos' reaction carefully, but the Chosen of Tethe'alla was a better liar than Lloyd through and through and he gave no hint of his own knowledge. "…despite how insane it sounds," she added softly, "it is the truth. All we want to do now is save our friend…"

Zelos eyed them all, "…you realize that even if you somehow manage to save the little angel, you're not going home, right? I mean, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you're a national threat. Though my bet says, you're smart enough to have known that before you walked into the castle on your little mission." The last was added with a slightly knowing smirk.

There was silence for a moment as Zelos gave the group time to let his words sink in. For Lloyd and Raine this had, indeed, been something they'd realized long before they had stepped foot into Tethe'alla castle, but by the pained look in Genis' eyes, it truly _was_ the first time this unpleasant thought had found its way into his mind.

"Well, I suppose we should get the formal introduction out of the way, then." The silence was broken by Zelos' too-chipper voice as he clasped his hands together and looked around at them with a wide smile. "As I'm sure you've gathered, I'm the Great Zelos Wilder, Chosen of Tethe'alla."

"I am Raine Sage," the Professor said smoothly, her manners perfected despite her meager upbringing, "and this is my brother, Genis. That is Lloyd Irving, Colette Brunel, and Presea Combatir. Presea is new to our group, we met her earlier today…" She was carefully watching the young girl. Presea stood staring off at nothing, but when all attention was suddenly on her, she blinked for the first time in several minutes and turned her head to look dully at them.

The Chosen of Tethe'alla tilted his head. "Wait, so the little rosebud isn't from Sylvarant?"

"Ozette." For a word with so much emotion and pain associated with it, she seemed almost bored.

"Ozette! That little village way out in the boonies! You're a long way from home, sweetie. Whatcha doin' here?" Zelos raised an eyebrow, clearly disapproving of a child commuting from "all the way out in the boonies."

"Working," she replied hollowly. Presea's large, unblinking eyes seemed to throw Zelos off a bit. They were unnerving, even Lloyd had to admit.

This being Zelos, however, he was quick to recover and stood up, "Well, it sounds like we've all had a pretty damn long day, so let's all get some sleep and we'll start on our way to Sybak tomorrow."

"Sybak?" Raine stood as well, though the gesture was clearly meant to put her on the same level as Zelos, not imply that she was ready for bed.

The Chosen nodded, "If you're gonna find a cure for the little angel, you need look no further than Sybak, the whole place is full of researchers who'll know a thing or two about Cruxis Crystals. It's just across the Grand Tethe'alla Bridge, a day and a half's walk from here, if we make good time. You should be glad you've got such a fantastic tour guide, we'll be getting the royal treatment. I had to pull a few strings with His Royal Highness, but it'll be worth it, you'll see!"

…

Lloyd did, indeed, sleep that night. He doubted he had done much sleeping in the past month, with the exception of his being knocked unconscious in the Tower of Salvation. And he didn't count it. However, as something seemed finally to be going in the direction Lloyd wanted it to, his mind finally let him rest. Even the images of Kvar storming Welgaia couldn't stop his eyelids from drooping, and the next morning it took the combined forces of Raine, Genis, and Sebastian dragging him out of bed to wake him.

The sun was barely up when the group left Meltokio, the sky was stained light shades of pink and blue, whispering of a warm, sunny day. The path they were walking was a straight, paved, well-worn stone walkway, and what few monsters had already been appearing in Tethe'alla due to Colette's near-Regeneration were far off in the clumps of trees and distant mountains that shaped the horizon.

Over breakfast, it had been decided that Presea would accompany them to Sybak, and once their business was completed, they would continue the rest of the two-day journey to Ozette. Lloyd had nodded and gone along with the plan enthusiastically, despite knowing that it wouldn't work out, but anything that seemed to go along with his timeline was welcomed.

It was midmorning when they reached the bridge, and the very sight of it had Genis once again begging to let them use the Rheiards to fly to their destination.

"But why_ not?"_ The young half-elf whined, looking out at the impossibly long bridge.

"Cause!" Lloyd sighed, having already tried to explain the situation to his young friend. "We don't have enough! I'm the only one strong enough to fly two people, but the Rheiards won't carry that much weight, Zelos and Presea can't fly them, so even if we could get the weight to work, they'd end up crashing, _and_ Yuan said that we don't have enough fuel to be flying all over the place! We're walking! We managed it in Sylvarant just fine!"

Raine was nodding along with Lloyd's logic—though this fact seemed to both surprise and amuse her—and Zelos was laughing, most probably at Genis' pain. Of course Genis gave in, and the six began their expedition across the bridge.

"This is the Grand Tethe'alla Bridge!" Zelos announced excitedly, "It's the most technologically advanced and architecturally sound structure in the entire world! It took a century-and-a-half to build, and was finished all of a decade ago! It's links the Altamira and Fooji continents and is actually equipped with a drawbridge for transportation reasons." He seemed almost giddy as he introduced the group to the bridge. "The whole thing is run by over three thousand exspheres, so it's completely self-contained as far as the power source goes. Bet you bumpkins don't have this kinda stuff in Sylvarant!"

His last statement had a sobering effect on Raine and Genis severe enough that Zelos actually noticed. It was with a sigh that Raine spent almost half of their journey across the bridge explaining to Zelos what they had learned from Kvar about exspheres. To Zelos' credit, he seemed genuinely horrified by the revelation.

"Damn…" he muttered, running a hand through his long hair, "that's a lot to take in on a first date…" Despite his attempt at humor, there was something truly haunted in his words.

The next hour was spent in silence as the group trekked in the increasingly hot sun across a bridge that spanned miles and miles. They could see neither coast when they stopped for a short rest and lunch at about the half-way marker. Lunch was homemade rolls, sent by Sebastian, apples, some jerky, and a bag of nuts that the group passed between hands. Aside from several swigs of his water, Lloyd ate very little. It appeared that his sleep was more than enough human indulgence for the moment.

It was this lunch, though, that loosened Zelos' lips again, though whether this was for the best was a question up for debate. While Lloyd was slowly picking apart his roll, eating only every three chunks and throwing the rest into the ocean water for the fishes, Zelos sauntered up to Lloyd and wrapped an arm around him. "So, Bud, I gotta know, how the hell do you keep this lot in line?"

"Lloyd," he corrected again, "I dono, I don't really… We're here for Colette, she's the one keeping things going." He didn't look at Zelos as he spoke, but let his eyes wander out to where the sky and the water met, far to the East. If he pretended, he could see the Toize mountains, but he was almost sure the peaks in the distance were just his imagination.

Zelos laughed, "She may be your inspiration, Bud, but you're holding this show together! Come on, share your secrets!"

"…luck?" Lloyd finally looked at Wilder, his own rust-colored eyes meeting Zelos' periwinkle. It was true that Lloyd honestly couldn't place exactly when and how he had become the unofficial leader of their world-saving disaster. He had only really noticed it after they'd gotten to Tethe'alla, at least the first time around, but he suspected that he had been controlling the group for far longer. There may have been a power struggle between Raine and Kratos over what was best for Colette, but it was he, Lloyd, that they both would have turned to and listened to. Considering that even after being from the future, Lloyd still felt stupid, he couldn't understand this at all. "Maybe it's just 'cause I've known everyone the longest or something…though I really do just think it's luck."

The Chosen of Tethe'alla shook his head in exasperation, "Lloydie, you don't just get to be leader through pure luck. I'm _sure_ you've got some trick up your sleeve. Spill."

Lloyd turned away from the ocean and let his back slide along the railing until he was sitting. "I'm serious! Without people like you and Yuan, I don't know what the hell I'd do. Sure as hell wouldn't be this far. Honestly, we'd probably all be dead… I never did thank you for sticking up for us back in the castle, did I?" Lloyd looked up at Zelos, who seemed almost taken aback by Lloyd's honesty. "Well, thanks. Like I said, we'd be dead without you."

"Hey, no problem Bud. When you've got three pretty girls running around with you, you _know_ the Great Zelos isn't going to let anything happen!" He laughed, as if the whole thing was a big joke, and retreated from Lloyd, leaving the boy to stare out to sea again. There had been something like shock written in the furthest depths of Zelos' eyes. Lloyd had to admit, Zelos was a better actor than his father, because Lloyd had almost missed his reaction.

…

Even in high noon sun, Sybak was ever-bustling. The streets, filled with intense foot-traffic, were loud, and the few snatches of conversation that Lloyd caught were almost unintelligible, largely due to their scientific content. He let Zelos lead the way through the small square that made up the majority of the commerce offered in the scholar's town and past the largest library in two worlds. It was larger than Palmacosta's cathedral, which once boasted to be the largest building in Sylvarant—excluding the Tower of Salvation, of course.

The Chosen led them through the crowds and off onto a side road where there was less traffic; as he did so, he kept a running explanation of where they were going. "The Elemental Research Academy," he explained rather loudly, "is at the forefront of all of Tethe'alla's research. While the majority of their base-research is given to the colleges to actually carry out testing, they're the main source of the information. There've actually been rumors that they've _created_ Summon Spirits! With that kind of knowledge, we're sure they'll be able to help our dear little Colette."

"How," Raine said quietly, "should we expect them to know anything about Cruxis Crystals?" There was something sharp in her words, though Zelos ignored it.

"Seeing as we didn't figure I'd have to go through with the Regeneration, they were lent my Cruxis Crystal for a few years to do tests. I think there was some hope of cloning it. They've given it back, of course, but they must have learned _something_ off of it, right?" Zelos stopped in front of an unassuming building, its two stories of gray brick hinting at only another college building, and a particularly uninteresting one at that.

It wasn't until one reached the front door that they realized how heavily guarded the facility was. A guard, dressed more like one of the King's knights than a Papal Knight stopped them, but upon seeing Zelos, he allowed them inside. The group was allowed into a large foyer filled with uncomfortable-looking chairs and couches. At the far end of the room was a woman—no, a student—reading a thick text behind what looked like a reception desk.

Zelos strolled up to her, but his flirtations and announcements were lost on Lloyd, despite how the echoed in the high-ceilinged chamber. Lloyd wandered over to where Raine with a mindless Colette, a few seats down, her brother and Presea spoke quietly. Or, rather, Genis spoke quietly to a seemingly uninterested Presea.

"…you okay, Raine?" Lloyd sat down beside her. "You've been really quiet lately…"

Her eyes met his, and they suddenly reminded him of the waters around Lake Umacy, clear and cool. "…of course, Lloyd," she said convincingly enough. "I'm simply wondering…wondering how much good this trip will really do us. It seems to me…well…" She hesitated, and when her next words came, the spilled out of her. "I doubt that even the most advanced civilization can find scientific answers to the Goddess and her Angels!" She looked away, almost ashamed, her cheeks heated slightly. "…childish notions, I know…"

Very suddenly, Lloyd felt completely selfish. He felt as though he had been blind to Raine's very real pain. He remembered the way she had looked at Remiel even when he was condemning Colette to death, how she had walked Colette _to_ that death. Raine had always clung to her faith, it having been the one consistent thing through her life. He suddenly remembered Raine, his Raine, the Raine he had left behind, in the future, telling him about when she was a child.

"_The few memories I have of Tethe'alla are vague at best,"_ he recalled her words, _"I think that's largely because of the trauma I suffered while on the run. I do, however, remember my mother telling me to pray to the Angels when I was afraid. I clung to that hope of being saved by the Angels. Ironic, isn't it?"_ Her voice turned bitter and slightly sarcastic, _"Those to whom I prayed trying so very hard to kill me."_

It was no wonder that Raine now felt lost.

"…it's not stupid," he corrected, taking one of her hands gently in his own. "It _shouldn't_ be possible…but, since the angels are different than we thought they'd be, maybe the Crystals are too. And even if they're not, we don't have anywhere else to go… We've gotta start somewhere, and Zelos and the Elemental Research Academy are our best bets." He tried to be gentle, tried not to sound judgmental, but wasn't sure he totally succeeded. Despite this, Raine looked a little bit calmer.

She nodded slowly, "Yes, of course your right…it's just felt as though things are moving so fast…"

And, though neither of them realized it, things were _indeed_ moving very fast.

Zelos bounded back across the room, leaving behind a flushed receptionist gazing longingly after him. Her frizzed hair and bright cheeks made her look slightly unhinged. "Well, it's all settled. Someone should be with us soon!" He plopped in the last chair between Lloyd and Presea and they waited in rather thick silence until a scientist came and retrieved them.

While the scientist that led them down through the twisting halls of the academy did not, to Lloyd's mind anyway, appear to be a scientist's stereotype, the man who accepted them into his cluttered office _was._ He had full, bushy eyebrows and his skin was white-pale; his eyes were a watery brown and it was apparent he had not shaved in about a week. His lab coat was splattered with things that Lloyd would really prefer to remain blissfully ignorant of and through the first several minutes of speaking to him, the man had to run off twice to write down some sudden insight that had come to him in another area of his research.

It was at long last that Lloyd marched up to him and, crossing his arms in front of his chest, growled at the man to just go ahead and tell them everything he might find useful to them about Cruxis Crystals. Fifteen minutes later, at the end of what Lloyd was sure was only the introduction of the lecture, only Raine was still fully following him.

"What we've discovered, in essence, is that the Cruxis Crystal is the same, at the basis of its biology, as an exsphere! There's been extensive research done to discover how they relate and the best we can understand is that a Cruxis Crystal has been allowed to mature longer and under different circumstances, but it was, originally, a slightly altered exsphere! It's a bit like cheese, really," he added, as though trying to make the subject matter more accessible. "It's all made of the same base, but the amount and type of mold, ingredients, and maturity make it so diverse!"

Lloyd blinked at the strange comparison, but it did, in fact, make sense.

"It's in this way that the exsphere is matured, or, more specifically, the type of crest used as it is grown on its host. The more of the host's mana it is given access to, the more memories, in essence, the more _soul_ that the exsphere can feed on, the stronger it will become and the faster it will evolve into a Cruxis Crystal. The problem is, however, that not only does the process take over two decades to do properly, but it generally requires more than one host and the hosts all have their strength sapped and die before the process can be completed…"

When the man paused to take a breath, Lloyd jumped in, trying to focus their conversation again. "So, if a Crystal is like an exsphere, doesn't that just mean that the right key crest would control it, just like an exsphere?"

The pause that stretched after Lloyd's words seemed unnecessary, but the scientist was deep in thought, and no one wanted to interrupt. "…in theory…" he mused softly, "…but the problem is, we've yet to figure out the correct designs, seals, and charms to be used on them. And the metals and refining techniques could be significantly different…" He rubbed his stubbly chin. "And if done incorrectly, the side effects may be worse than you can imagine…"

As far as Lloyd was concerned, that was as much as he needed to hear. "Alright, I've got an idea then. I'll make an additional sort of crest with protective charms to add to the crest she's already got. Between them, they should b able to bring her back to us, or at least give me a place to start…"

"Young man," the scientist spluttered, "I don't think you understand! A _dwarf_ is required to make a proper crest, you could never—"

"Lloyd's father is a dwarf," Raine explained simply. "If anyone can do it, it is Lloyd."

The man studied Lloyd; scanning him as if he could simply tell his skill level by his appearance. "…we could allow it…" he mused after a moment. "After all, it is the_ King_ who in endorsing your movements…" Finally, his eyes focused on Lloyd. "The ore and charms we think significant will be given for your consideration…"

As Lloyd was led into a metal smith's shop deep within the Elemental Research Academy, he wondered if the scientist had taken pity on Colette, or was only helping them because he hoped this would gain him favor with the King. Lloyd suspected a bit of both. He was left to his own devices quickly and Lloyd, his fingers flying, twice as efficient as he had been the last time he had make Colette her crest in this very room, finished in four hours.

He did as he had done before, carefully carving the protective charms in the metal around the red gem in Colette's birthday necklace. When he had broken it the first time, for the sake of the "timeline," he had made the broken parts very strategically, and the charm itself was simple to fix. Now, the pendant hung on its chain again, more intricate than he had ever imagined it, as Lloyd walked through the halls to find his friends again.

They had been moved to a more comfortable and private room to eat and wait until Lloyd had finished his work. He opened the door, sweating and tired, knowing that all of his work would be, for now at least, nothing. Then, standing in the doorway, a thought struck him. It was astounding and horrifying enough to stop him mid-stride: they would not be meeting with Yuan, Pronyma, and Kratos on Mt. Fooji. This stuck him then simply because _that_ was the vital moment when Colette struggled through to regain her soul. For all Lloyd knew, perhaps that moment would never come.

His head spun, reminding him that Pronyma was _dead,_ that Kratos and Yuan were probably in the middle of dangerous battles against Kvar's Desians. None of them would show up even if Lloyd forced the group, for no reason, to go to the mountain.

"Bud…? Bud? Tethe'alla to Bud!" He was pulled from his thoughts by Zelos waving a pink-and-black gloved hand in front of his eyes. "You in there, sunshine? You done with the little angel's crest yet?"

Lloyd blinked himself back to reality, "Erm…yeah, finished a bit ago… Well…should we try it?" Part of his wanted Colette's eyes to spring to life again as soon as the charm was in place, and another part of him breathed a sigh of relief when they remained blank.

It was Genis who broke the silence, "…it didn't work…?" He seemed so utterly baffled by the idea that Lloyd felt ashamed. Genis had always had faith in Lloyd, even if he didn't agree with his every move. Lloyd always had an idea, had an answer, or at least an optimistic word to add. Now, he had nothing. This was clearly some of his better work; even Genis could see it, and it had done, for all intents and purposes, nothing. Lloyd's silence had proved that he had no idea for their next step.

"…apparently Lloyd's skills aren't a substitute for a dwarf's handiwork…" Raine murmured, almost as shocked as her brother, though she did a better job of hiding it.

Zelos sighed, "Well, I guess that means we need a real dwarf then. One that'll actually work for us… Anyone got any idea who to call?" He was clearly not as depressed or shaken as the rest were.

"Only dwarf I know is Dirk, but I'm sure he'd help us if we could just get over to Sylvarant…" Genis sighd. "I knew we were too far from home…"

"Well," Zelos said, a slightly hard edge to his chipper voice. "That's not an option, now is it? Remember what I said? You're here, we're helping you, you stay in Tethe'alla." His eyes narrowed.

Something sinister lit in Raine's eyes, "…but you should know by now that we've no intention of finishing the Regeneration… And you would do _anything_ for a pretty girl, right…? If there was a way to help Colette…" Lloyd let Raine lay on the charm as he silently panicked.

"Look, 'much as I'd love to say yes, it's just out of the question. Too dangerous, too risky for Tethe'alla."

"But what if you came_ with_ us_._ You could stop us from doing it if we tried…"

It seemed that even Zelos knew she was playing him, but he was caving anyway. Perhaps Zelos really _couldn't _stand to see Colette suffer, but he had pushed it just out of reach. "…_fine!_" He sounded so exasperated, "I'll freaking do it! But we're going to be in a lot of trouble…"

That was, of course, when the soldiers burst into the room.

…

_A lot of late nights, but I did it!_

_R&R _

_~Yoshi_


	32. Chapter 32

_This is at last another one of those chapters that I've been planning for a while now. Despite this, it had a billion times more substantial bulk than I first intended. However, to get from point A to point B…I had to get through a lot of plot. Still, I'm pretty pleased with the end results!_

_Enjoy this rather long chapter!_

…

Lloyd paced around the dark basement of the Elemental Research Academy restlessly. Zelos was watching, his blue eyes dark and distracted, his lips drawn into a deep frown. Presea and Colette were simply standing again, staring into nothingness with wide, blank eyes. The half-elves that were supposed to be guarding them only stared as Lloyd spun on his heel and stormed back across the room.

"…you didn't know?" Zelos asked as Lloyd pivoted again, avoiding the wires that covered the stone floor. "They never told you either?"

"No! Not that It matters!" Lloyd tried not to explode. "They've been kidnapped! That's a little bit more freaking important!"

Zelos crossed his arms, "So you're seriously not mad that your best friend has been lying to you this whole time?" He sounded as though he was waiting for Lloyd to realize the obvious.

He sighed and stopped pacing, "…look, I'd guessed, but it never mattered! They're my friends! They're _your_ friends! We have to get out of here and save them!"

"You're not leaving," Kate, though they hadn't been introduced yet, snapped. "We have enough trouble without letting you walk out on us as well!"

The Chosen of Tethe'alla glanced between Kate and Lloyd, who had resumed his pacing. There seemed to be a silent struggle going on behind his eyes and at last he sighed. "Look, you're a half-elf, right, cutie? Well, my Bud here has a couple of half-elf friends that are being taken to Meltokio to be executed. Don't you have _any_ loyalty to your own race? If you do, I'd suggest you help us out of here. We'll owe you a favor or something."

Lloyd wondered just how much it pained Zelos to make the suggestion.

Kate eyed them, "…a human befriending half-elves…? That's utter nonsense. Now, shut up while we continue with our work!"

She turned away and Zelos shrugged at Lloyd, as if to say that he had tried.

"Actually…Kate…" One of the other half-elves intervened, "I did hear that the Papal Knights had apprehended two half-elves, and that _would_ explain why they left these humans with us instead of taking them back to Meltokio as well…"

Kate glanced back at them, taking what was left of their group. "…still, a human befriending half-elves…that's ridiculous…"

"Hey, missy, just 'cause every human you've met so far is a piece of shit doesn't mean we _all_ are! You've heard Bud here ranting about how he's got to save them. Why should you let your_ kin_ die?" Zelos snorted, "Wow, I guess living in the dark down here doesn't exactly do anything for your loyalty. All I know is that if I had the ability to _save_ people, I'd help them!"

"Never thought I'd hear_ you_ talking about saving people…" Sheena said snidely from the corner and the entire room spun, shocked, to see her.

Lloyd had hoped that, when she returned to them, Mizuho might have been able to do something for her scarring, but it was now obvious that nothing could be done for her face. All the same, she held herself with as much dignity as she could muster, leaning against the back wall with a small smirk as she surveyed their shocked faces.

"Miss me? Looks like you're still getting yourselves into trouble…but where are Raine and Genis…?"

"…holy shit, _Sheena?"_ Zelos gaped. "What in Goddess Martel's name happened to your face?"

Every ounce of confidence drained out of Sheena and her lower lip, or rather, the scar tissue that was now her lower lip, quivered slightly. Lloyd slapped his hand over Zelos' mouth. "I think the more important question is how'd you get down here, and can you take us back out with you! Raine and Genis were kidnapped by the Papal Knights; they're going to be executed if we don't hurry up!"

It visibly took Sheena a moment to pull herself back together before she shook her head. "I…I got down here with a technique from Mizuho, but it only works on one person at a time, so I could get _me_ out of here, but you have to find another way out…"

"A ninja!" gasped Kate. "Humans who befriend half-elves, ninjas…what could possibly be next!"

Another half-elf, who had been silent for the past several minutes, said hesitantly, "Kate, you…you may want to take a look at _this_ as well…" He nodded to Presea, who had, essentially, hidden herself at the back of the group. "It's Presea!"

Despite the shock on Kate's face, it was clear she was ready for _any other_ surprise to come her way as well. "…so it is…" she sighed. "…I do believe this makes things easier…" As Kate took a step forward to get a better look at Presea, the child hid herself more fully behind Lloyd.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Zelos cut in, stepping between Presea and Kate. "How do you know our little rosebud? An Elemental Research Academy half-elf would_ never_ have the chance to meet a little girl, and you've obviously been here _way_ longer than she's been alive. Care to explain?"

Kate's pale lips opened, then shut themselves again into a tight line as she surveyed her fellow half-elves. If she was hesitant to share this simple piece of information with the group, how was Lloyd going to convince her to let them go save Raine and Genis?

"…Presea was used in an experiment my lab was conducting several years ago. We were using a human host to try to manipulate an exsphere to become a Cruxis Crystal, like the Chosen's… The process has been long and slow…"

"And what'd you learn?" Zelos asked, "And what does it mean for our little cutie here?"

The green-haired half-elf pushed her glasses further up her nose and sighed softly, "…the process is not complete yet, but…" She tried to step forward and take a better look at Presea, crouching down in front of the child, only to have the girl shove away and stumble back several paces. For the first time, real emotion spawned in her eyes, hatred, fear, and anger blossomed across her face.

"No. Stay away from me." Her words were still emotionless, but her response was so violent that Kate fell backward.

"…" Kate was gasping softly, "…the exsphere has clearly taken its toll…mentally and physically… Theoretically," she continued, "after the process was complete…Presea would die."

"That's insane!" Sheena exploded from her corner. "You can't do that to an innocent child!"

Zelos was nodding, "Yeah, what the _hell_ were you thinking?"

Lloyd's mind, however, was elsewhere. Or, rather, the amount of fake shock he could muster had run out completely by now. "How do we save her?" He crossed his arms, the red fabric of his coat tugging around his shoulders. "It's an exsphere, right? Does that mean I could just make a key crest for her?"

Kate's gray eyes swung from Presea to Lloyd, then around and Colette, Zelos, and Sheena, before returning to rest on Lloyd. He held her stare with what he knew was a determined near-glare. "…I'll give you a deal," she said slowly, "…I let you go and save your friends. You bring them back here and I'll tell you how to save Presea. Agreed?"

"Of course." Of course they had a deal. It was the perfect deal if they were telling the truth, and Lloyd could the seconds tick by as, in the same moments they stood calmly discussing Presea's imminent death, Genis and Raine moved further from his help and closer to _their _deaths. "Show us the way out."

He didn't wait for Sheena and Zelos to protest, or even to hear their concerns, he just followed Kate to the bookshelf where he helped her shove it aside and led the way down the narrow, low-ceilinged tunnel and up the rusted ladder to the empty alley above.

As soon as Lloyd's feet hit pavement, he was running. The footsteps and pants behind him told him that the others were following his example, and he spared one glance behind to make sure they were all there. All four—Colette, Presea, Zelos, and Sheena—jogged behind him. Lloyd increased his speed, his heart pounding, his breaths coming in short gasps. He didn't care that the world around had begun to spin, he had to get out of city and to the bridge.

What was normally a three-hour walk took Lloyd half the time, even when Zelos insisted they rest. Though this was, Lloyd silently blamed, only because the Chosen _insisted_ on explaining to Sheena what was happening. Why was it that she needed to know more?

As the bridge loomed ahead, Lloyd's pace increased. He couldn't see his friends, he couldn't hear the Knights. His mind began to wander. What if they'd been taken to Ozette instead of Meltokio? What if they'd somehow passed the Knights? What if they'd dawdled too long with Kate and the bridge was already raised? Every worry, no matter how childish or unlikely, darted through Lloyd's head like a shining silver fish, only to be snapped up by his breathlessness and the next panicked thought.

Then, in the distance, he heard it: the sound of armor clanking against itself as the half-dozen men that had taken Genis and Raine made their way across the largest bridge in history.

"Bud, Lloyd, we gotta rest. You can't keep pushing us!" Zelos gasped, his chest heaving as he collapsed against the side of the bridge. "You're killing yourself!"

Lloyd 'rounded on his friends, "But they're just ahead! I can hear their armor! We have to keep going! It's a _drawbridge,_ remember? What if they pull it up! We can't leave them to die!" He spun back around and began to run again. The sounds of Presea and Colette joining in behind him and then, eventually, Zelos and Sheena met his ears, lessening his panic the tiniest degree.

It could only have been another mile that they ran before the Knights, along with Raine and Genis shackled among their number, came into view. They were stopped, and for a moment, Lloyd's hopes rose, thinking that they had actually managed to reach them before the drawbridge was used, but those hopes plummeted as a loud screech echoed from a dozen speakers up and down the bridge, proclaiming that it was to be raised.

Zelos shouted something that Lloyd's couldn't hear, probably some caution or to stop, but Lloyd ignored him, only increasing his speed to the point of stupidity. Of course, with Lloyd doing it, the rest of the group did as well. By the time they reached the part of the bridge being lifted, Lloyd was scrambling for footholds and he flung his arms up to catch and crawl up to the edge. The others were doing the same and Lloyd, before thinking a thing through, shouted to jump.

He took his own advice and flung himself to the other side of the bridge. His red-gloved fingers scraped the flat underbelly of the bridge a moment before he began to plummet toward the ocean below. Lloyd hadn't noticed, until he was falling, just how far down the water was. Without his wings, and at the rate he was falling, he would probably break his neck.

Beside him, Zelos was swearing profusely and Presea was quietly falling. Above, Colette's wings held her aloft as she caught the breeze and looked down at them with empty blue eyes. Lloyd's heart and stomach were in his throat and he was sure he was shouting. Sheena was screaming something, but Lloyd couldn't hear it over the wind and his own shouts. A moment later, however, he _felt_ it as the water below rushed up faster than they were falling and caught them. He splashed into the spout of water meant for him and felt his lungs burn for a moment as the water engulfed him and tried to find its way into every opening presented. The salt made him blink as he tried to get the uncomfortable feeling away, only to be thrust into the air.

It was as if he was falling again, but this time he had more than his legs propelling him forward and he landed with a loud, wet _splat_ on the far side of the bridge. He was soaking, gasping for breath, and felt as though his bones had turned to jelly, but he was alive. And, as he looked around at his friends, they had all made it as well.

The Papal Knights had witnessed the whole thing, and their only response was to stand several feet away, gaping as Lloyd and the others tried to pull themselves together.

Lloyd coughed up what felt like several gallons of sea water, then rose to his feet and pointed a quivering sword at the Knights. "Let our friends go. Now." Seeing Lloyd suddenly attempting to be aggressive, Colette, who appeared to have suffered no ill-effects of the day's running and swimming, pulled out weapons as well, pointing them at the Knights. There was a scrape as Zelos tugged out his sword and Sheena forced herself to her feet beside him, saturated cards in each hand. Presea's axe was held aloft and glinted in the sunlight.

There was a small whimper from one of the Knights and they glanced at one another for a moment. For the first time, Lloyd realized how truly _impressive_ their entrance must have been. Not only were they _alive,_ but it seemed as though the ocean was aiding them. It didn't matter that they were half-drowned; they'd forced themselves up and were _still_ ready to fight to the death for their friends.

The sight of them sent three of the men fleeing toward Meltokio, leaving Raine and Genis in the hands of the braver, if not more idiotic three. "Cowards…" the leader hissed and pulled out a lance. The others dragged out swords, but seemed completely uncomfortable with the idea of facing the group. However, when their leader charged, the soldiers were right behind.

Lloyd was not stupid enough to hope that he could use brute force to block every swing the Knight made with his lance, but he was just quick enough to weave around every attempt made on his life by the Knight. It took seconds for Lloyd and Zelos to send the man crashing to the ground. Colette single-handedly took down the second guard and the third was at the mercy of Presea and Sheena. Even weakened as they were, taking down the three knights was painfully easy.

Somehow, facing a bedraggled Raine and Genis was far more difficult. Lloyd fiddled with the locks on the chains that encircled their wrists while Zelos unceremoniously dumped the bodies of the soldiers into the ocean below.

"The armor'll keep them from floating, so hopefully we won't be charged with murder _and_ attempting to endanger Tethe'alla all in one day." Zelos looked at Lloyd, who was crouched in front of Raine, picking away at the lock with a lock pick he kept on his person—normal tools for the son of a dwarf. "Well, Lloyd, what the hell do we do now? Can't exactly run back to Sybak, and we're banned from Meltokio…"

Lloyd bit his tongue as he wriggled the pick around in the cuff surrounding Raine's hand. "Um…I don't know, sleep in the wilderness for a few weeks? Or until the bridge goes back down? Got it!" Lloyd cried the last triumphantly as the shackle clicked open and Raine pulled her hands free. Her wrists were bloody and layers of skin were rolled off and clung in the blood, like clots of dried red paint.

With only a nod of thanks, Raine grabbed Lloyd's bag and fished out gels to press onto her wrists. She visibly sighed with relief as the cooling ointment touched her skin. Lloyd set to work freeing Genis.

"Bud, that's nuts. We're not staying in the wilderness until they lower the bridge. The second they find out we're on this continent, they'll order the bridge to stay up until they can track us down and get rid of the little angel at least. Our best bet is to get our asses back to Meltokio and spend a few days lying low at my place."

"As ideal as that would be," Sheena snapped, "Meltokio's doors are gonna be closed, and they're guarded when they're open! Getting inside the city'll be impossible for a big group like this! And we're just a bit _obvious."_

They all turned to face Raine when she sighed softly, her eyes still trained on her wrist as she precariously spread ointment over her destroyed skin. "…I think you are skipping a rather important step in deciding our next movements…" she said softly. Her voice was barely a whisper. "…you must decide if Genis and I will still be permitted to travel with you…" Finally she looked up and her crystal eyes bored into Lloyd's, both begging him to let them stay, and _daring_ him to make the choice for Zelos and Sheena.

"You've_ got_ to be frigging kidding me!" Zelos outright laughed, "Did you miss the part where we broke out of Sybak, sprinted across the countryside to get to this damn bridge, practically drowned ourselves and _still_ took out those guards for you? Quite frankly, beautiful, you_ owe_ us, and the best way to pay off that debt is to hang out with us and save _our_ lives a few times. Then we'll see what's up."

Raine hesitated, "But…we _lied_ to you…" Again, her words were more directed at Lloyd. She didn't seem ashamed of her actions, but she also wanted Lloyd—and the others—to understand the _gravity_ of the situation.

"Raine…" Lloyd said letting Genis' shackles clatter to the ground as he stood. "A) not a _single_ one of us here hasn't told some sort of lie, B) like Zelos said, we practically killed ourselves trying to save you, and C) you're our friend. Half-elf or elf or dwarf or, well, _angel,_ we're _not_ just about to let you walk off."

"Of course you've gotta come back! I owe you my life, and we're _all_ wanted criminals now!" Sheena smiled grotesquely. Even Presea was nodding, though Colette stared off into nothingness.

The Professor opened her mouth again, clearly meaning to protest, but Genis cut her off. "Raine, give it up! They…they really want us back!" Genis' eyes were wide and filled with excitement.

And, as if to close the deal, Zelos rounded on Lloyd, "Okay, I know what secrets_ I'm_ keeping, but what the hell aren't _you_ telling us, Bud?"

Somehow, "Badgering Lloyd" was the game that laughed them off of the Great Tethe'alla Bridge.

…

"Listen and be amazed, Bumpkins!" Zelos declared, looking around at the group. "Here in Meltokio, the gates are closed at night to keep out all the creepy-crawly nasties that might want to eat us up for a midnight snack!" Zelos wiggled his fingers in Genis and Presea's direction, but they both only looked skeptically back. The Chosen chuckled, "Well, the point is, the gates are sealed, but not to worry, I've gotten locked out a fair few times, but I have my secret entrance that'll get us back to my place in no time flat! Follow the Great Zelos and be amazed."

Of course, by "be amazed," Lloyd mused, Zelos must have meant "be disgusted," as that was Lloyd's reaction to the reek that was blow from between the bars of the underground sewer that was the only hole Meltokio's wall had to offer.

"That is _completely_ gross. How can you stand it, Zelos?" Sheena plugged her nose as she squinted into the dark confines of the Meltokio sewers. "And at night, too? Eww…"

Zelos waved her protests aside, "Oh, you get used to the smell after awhile, and we don't spend _long_ inside, the door's not far. Come on, pansy, do you want to sleep outside or inside tonight?" Zelos grabbed Sheena's shoulders and steered her inside. Though Lloyd's couldn't see into the darkness, he heard Sheena shriek as she was, presumably, almost pushed into the greenish sewer waters below.

Lloyd and the others followed more slowly, wrinkling their noses against the offensive scent. They were all clearly tired, and the idea of collapsing into warm beds was the most appealing thing in the world at that moment. Never, though, could Lloyd's mind be so easily occupied. Not only did the group have to send at least the next several hours wandering aimlessly in the dark, smelly sewers, but Colette was still wandering mindlessly behind them.

Part of him couldn't believe he had let things get so out of hand—of course, to the others, these were just more steps forward, but to Lloyd… The guilt that he had let Colette sacrifice her soul again was worse than ever now that he was failing to save her too. He wished that he could talk to Yuan, express his pain to someone who might understand.

The leader of the Renegades was too busy to take calls at the moment, Lloyd was sure. He was trying to assist in a war-resistance. But perhaps, if he got the chance, he would call the Renegades and check up on how the war was going. He didn't know exactly what to do now, continue to try to help Colette? _How?_ And how, if they had the rheiards, was he going to convince the group that they had to make pacts!

"Hurry up, slow-pokes," Zelos called from ahead, "you wanna stay down here with the stench or what?"

When they reached the door, Lloyd fully expected it not to swing open…but it _did._ The hinges creaked painfully, but the heavy door swung open and the group made their way inside. Lloyd remained standing, staring at the open door. It was supposed to be locked! It was locked last time, what changed? Had the other Papal Knights not made it back to the city? Was there a trap _besides_ Regal and several other convicts waiting on the other side of the door?

This thought process, of course, brought on further panic. There _was_ an ambush waiting just a little further on! In all of his guilt and worry, Lloyd had forgotten about what could be imminent death waiting for them ahead! That was, if Kvar hadn't already gotten to Regal and the Duke _wasn't_ dead! Worries kept Lloyd's feet glued to the wet, almost sticky floor of the sewers. He was too anxious to stay there, but terrified of what he may find if he moved forward.

"Bud?" Zelos called through the darkness. "Yo, dude, what are you doing back there…?" His footsteps echoed through the gloom and someone ahead called back to him. "No, no," Zelos answered, "I got him. You guys go ahead. Bud? Lloyd? You back here?"

"Y-yeah…" Lloyd choked, "It's just…the smell. It's giving me this killer headache…" It had been awhile since he'd had to construct a lie, but the skill came to him easily.

Zelos was standing in front of him now; Lloyd could hear his clothes rustling and see his outline in the darkness. "Maybe this is what I need. I've got a few questions for you… Okay, Bud," he said coolly and he leaned back against the slimy wall of the sewers, somehow managing to find a dry spot to keep his immaculate clothes clean, "time to explain what the hell happened to Sheena. She looked _fine_ the last time I saw her. Either something really f'ed up happened, or Sylvarant's worse than I thought."

Lloyd sighed and dropped his voice, hoping Sheena was far enough away and absorbed in talking to Genis and Raine enough not to hear their conversation. If there was anyone that could distract from a panic, it was Zelos. "…in Sylvarant, there was this village called Luin, and a few miles north of Luin was a Desian Ranch. Even if you're from Tethe'alla, You know who they are, right? Yeah, well Kvar, the leader of the Ranch, attacked Luin while Sheena was staying there. This was before she joined with us, and Kvar wanted to lure me in…and the Chosen…and he used Sheena as bait. We're pretty sure he tortured her, but one way or another, she was way worse off before Raine healed her. Now…well, it's the scarring."

"…son of a bitch…" Zelos whispered. "…that's one helluva way to end up looking…" He crossed his arms and looked down at the saturated stones below their feet. "Damn…"

"So don't freaking bring it up!" Lloyd snapped, "How'd you like it if that was_ your_ face? It's not exactly easy to come to terms with!"

The Chosen of Tethe'alla tilted his head to the side and watched Lloyd curiously for a moment, "…you're right of course, Lloydie-boy, it's just…a wee bit shocking, if you know what I mean."

"You should apologize for freaking out at her."

Zelos' laughter echoed around the high-ceilinged room, "You're kidding, right? At the moment, the last thing our little ninja wants is an apology. It'd kill her dignity to think that not only am I going out of my way to be nice to her, I'm _pitying_ her. It'd drive her insane, make everything worse. You seem like you've known her long enough to notice _that._ She's too proud to admit that I hurt her feelings. My best bet is to just never-ever bring it up again."

"…I disagree…" Lloyd said hesitantly, "but it's up to you… Just…yeah, don't bring it up… You know what your biggest problem is, Zelos?"

"I have _no_ empathy, I'm a tool, I'm conceited, or I'm a bit of a bastard, pick your favorite." He ticked each sin off on a black-gloved finger.

Lloyd shook his head. "You hang out with too many bastards. Not everyone's as heartless as you think they are, Zelos."

Someone's scream echoed through the rooms and back to them. Without communication, both men turned and sprinted back through the door and to the source. Six men, dressed in disgusting clothes, their giant faces illuminated by flickering lantern light, had the rest of the group pushed back against a wall. Most were holding knives or clubs, though at the same time they all had rather long handcuffs. Among them, the tallest of the group, was the bizarrely clean blue head of Regal Bryant. Lloyd could breathe again.

Again, Lloyd was hesitating, watching the world happen around him. Zelos charged ahead, his sword flashing in the dim light as he swiftly cut down the convict trying to crush Genis' windpipe. The young half-elf dropped to the ground, one hand to his injured throat and the other already working up the mana to blast Sheena's guard. Lloyd pushed himself forward, his swords finding angry hold in the back of another convict. The man hissed and spun 'round, in the soft light, Lloyd saw something clear drip from the blade of the man's knife: poison.

He dodged the man's wild swing and blocked the next, expertly twisting his sword so that the convict's knife was sent splashing into the murky sewer water below. Now without a weapon, the man tried to flee, but Lloyd tripped him, sending him skittering across the rough stone floor and Lloyd moved to slam the hilt of his sword into the bastard's skull.

He fell forward, not sure what had hit him for a moment, then dull pain blossomed in his back and air didn't want to return. He fell forward onto his unconscious victim. Lloyd caught himself and half-pushed, half-rolled to look up at his assailant. The man who looked down at him was a solemn-faced Regal.

"I cannot allow you to kill him," Regal nodded once at the convict next to Lloyd. "Death is too kind for him. However, I do not wish to see you all dead either. If you would simply give me the girl, Colette, no more of this has to happen."

Lloyd laughed, "Fat chance of that, though it's refreshing to have someone actually_ ask_ instead of straight-up killing us. Still, no. Sorry." He jumped to his feet, his swords expertly positioned to guard against whatever Regal next attempted. Despite the grubbiness of Regal's greaves, Lloyd knew that the man could still do a substantial amount of damage.

Unwilling to attack Regal, Lloyd carefully dodged the duke's first attempts to kick him, but on the third, he found himself backed up against the wall of the sewers. He took the next hit and he felt his breath again slam out of his lungs. His guard dropped and Lloyd braced himself for the next hit. Instead of pain, however, Lloyd heard a grunt and the sound of a heavy object hitting the group.

"Stay away from Lloyd." Presea said emotionlessly, her axe behind her, but ready to swing and, if need be, to kill. Regal was clearly not about to hurt her. His eyes were wide and his mouth practically gaping. He choked for a moment and muttered something incoherent before Raine was upon him.

"Stay," she whacked him with her staff, "away" a second hit, "from," a third, "him!"

Regal was forced to back away and the rest of the convicts, obviously taking orders from the tallest, most commanding of their number, slowly began to follow suit. There were insulting howls thrown at them and Zelos actually shouted angrily back at him, to which Genis called the Chosen a child and the latter's insults were turned on the child.

"You're bleeding," Raine said softly and rested her hand against Lloyd's side. "I think you may have broken a rib… If I heal it tonight and we actually get to Zelos', you should be fine in the morning…" Healing mana gathered at her fingertips and Lloyd felt the soft rush of cool healing mana against the hot burn of his side.

"Guys," Sheena called, "we're almost to the city. We'd better go before those bastards regroup and try to attack again."

They made it up into the cool Meltokio air. The back alley that they crawled into was far from the soft echoes of music from Meltokio's nightlife. No one saw them as they slipped out into the street. This was probably for the better, as the group smelled of sweat and sewers—a rancid combination at best. They quietly moved through empty streets up toward the plaza.

"LLOYDIE!" The scream was loud enough to be heard across Meltokio's plaza and Lloyd spun around, hand already on the hilt of his sword, looking for the unfamiliar voice, worrying that perhaps it was a convict again. The owner was running across the plaza toward them. Green hair, huge, expressive eyes, pale—almost silver—skin defined him as someone Lloyd had never seen before. The man didn't slow down, but almost increased his speed the closer he got to them. Lloyd's friends, instead of moving to protect him, openly stared as well.

The oddity of the situation was what made it difficult for Lloyd to react in time to defend himself and the man collided with him, tacking him to the pavestones in a crushing hold.

"I missed you! Where have you been! Oh you're just so damn cute!" The man's arms tightened in what Lloyd realized was a hug.

"Get off him, you stupid mutt," came the snide remark from above and as Lloyd looked over his assailant's shoulder, he noticed a young boy for the first time. A painfully familiar young boy.

"Mithos!"

…

Kratos Aurion's dark eyes widened in surprise as Kvar shoved him backward. He was forced to abandon his steel blade as it was now crackling with Kvar's lightning attacks. This human—this foolish, foolish human—had thought he had bested Kvar once, but no more would Kratos Aurion believe that he was the better of the two. No power in the universe could save him now.

Kvar's smile stretched too-tight skin over ancient yellowing teeth as he strolled forward, his rod crackling with the lightning that would destroy Aurion. As if only just then realizing that he was going to die, the Seraph's eyes widened. Laughter broke through Kvar's smile and he raised his staff—

There was a piercing pain in the back of his skull, the feeling of flesh being eaten away, and Kvar rounded furiously to see the wrath of Mithos Yggdrasill. The petulant child had somehow managed to take the world, but that was thousands of years ago. Now he was simply one more obstacle in Kvar's way.

"That is quite enough!" Yggdrasill hissed, looking down at the man who had once been his subordinate.

"Oh, I think not…" Kvar grinned and his lightning lashed out at Kratos.

…

_That's right…TWO cliffhangers! And you thought I was out of practice…_

_R&R_

_~Yoshi_


	33. Chapter 33

_I'm sorry this took so long to come out! These past few weeks have been chaotic as I had two midterms and a Halloween costume to sew. On top of that, I've worked through three versions of this chapter to get it to a passable point. Still, I hope it doesn't disappoint, I'm finally getting around to answering some questions. Oh, and physics is a bitch. I'm going to blame _it_ for the late chapter._

_I'd also like to say that I'm working toward a conclusion from this point. We've a ways to go yet, but we're getting toward the end. _

…..

"It's true." The angel smiled sarcastically. "It's been a long time, brat." It was Mithos, this was a certain fact, but he was much different from the last time Lloyd had seen him. His hair was longer and dull, hardly the sleek plate that the Cruxis leader usually kept. His clothes, too, were mismatched and looked too big for him.

Lloyd stared as the green-haired man still hugged him, keeping Lloyd pressed down against the cobblestone streets. "B-but _how?_ What are you doing here! What's going on with Da—Yuan and the war!"

Mithos wrinkled his nose with distaste, "How the hell should I know?" He shrugged scornfully, but with his bedraggled appearance, the effect was rather bizarre. "Noishe! Get the hell off him; let him breathe. This is complicated enough without his brain dying from oxygen deprivation on top of everything!" The child grabbed the man's—apparently_ Noishe?—_shirt and dragged him off of Lloyd.

"Ow!" he protested, stumbling to his feet and tugging his clothing from the angel's grasp. "Jerk. I haven't seen him in _ages,_ let me hug him!" While both taller and more physically mature than Mithos, the man called Noishe clearly had the temperament of a nine-year-old. While his clothes were equally as clashing as Mithos', they fit a bit better, and he in general seemed in better condition. Still, as Lloyd watched him run a hand through his green hair and smile at Lloyd, it was simultaneously impossible, and impossible _not_ to, think of Noishe. The Protozoan beside Lloyd whined softly.

He was clearly not the only one to notice this. "…Noishe is the name of Lloyd's dog…" Raine said softly. "How is it that you have the same name? It's hardly a common title… And you—Mithos, is it?—how do you know Lloyd?" The Professor had taken control of the conversation in one swift move and Lloyd was strangely content to sit back for a moment and let her fish the answers out. He took Zelos' extended arm and hoisted himself back to his feet.

"That's cause I _am_ Noishe, silly!" The man grinned and, Lloyd grudgingly admitted, his eyes looked just like the Protozoan's own. He had the same hair and even a slightly silver skin tone.

The words burst out of Lloyd before he could think them through, "That's not how Protozoans work!"

Everyone was looking at him now, and Lloyd suddenly desperately wished that he hadn't opened his mouth. "Lloyd, what are you talking about? Protozoans are just a legend…" Raine's cool voice cut through the heavy silence.

"Heh," Mithos chuckled coolly. "The opposable thumbs and bipedal abilities are new, but he's the same old mutt." He met the shocked stares with cold indifference. "Now, if you don't mind, we haven't eaten or slept in, oh, a day? Two? Something like that, and you look ready to collapse too. Perhaps we should rest and get off the damn streets before the questioning begins. I've got as many questions as you do, I'm sure."

As the group found themselves working their way back toward Zelos' mansion, Lloyd suddenly realized that this was perhaps the closest glimpse of Mithos the Hero Lloyd had ever and would ever see. Despite the sudden burst of excitement, Genis was practically asleep as he made his way through Meltokio's empty streets. Everyone's eyes were sagging, with the exception, of course, of Colette. She alone seemed fully alert, and yet Lloyd was sure her head was void of real thought.

Zelos let them into the mansion, where Sebastian suddenly ambushed them. "Sir, how good to see you home safely. I've heard such rumors…and you all look exhausted!"

"Yeah, look, what've you heard from the King?" Zelos slumped onto his couch, yawning widely.

"To report any knowledge I have of your movements. The rest of the staff has had this asked of them as well." Even as he spoke, Sebastian seemed to be taking note of how many would need rooms and what food and medical supplies would be needed. "Of course, we've yet to hear anything of value. And, of course, I doubt we will hear anything unless you have any other opinions on the matter, Master Zelos."

The Chosen of Tethe'alla chuckled, "Yeah, I think nothing works for now. Thanks Sebastian. Can I fill you in in the morning? We need sleep, pronto. Long day, you know." There appeared to be something comfortable in the way master addressed servant and within but a handful of minutes, they had all found rooms.

Lloyd flung himself down on his bed; the plush comforter felt absolutely fantastic against his sore muscles. The numb pain slowly eased and he felt his eyes slipping shut.

"Sir Bud," Sebastian cut across Lloyd's almost-slumber and he looked up at the elderly butler. In the half-light, the man looked aged, every wrinkle thrown into focus by the shadows. "…I must express my thanks in your taking care of Master Zelos. From the rumors I've heard, he owes you his life several times over."

"Don't worry 'bout it," Lloyd yawned. "Zelos saved my ass a ton back there. You don't owe me a thing."

"The least we can offer is a safe place to sleep," the butler replied with a small smile. "The staff is loyal to the Chosen—it isn't the King that pays their checks, after all. Rest well knowing this. Goodnight, Sir Bud."

Not bothering to correct him, Lloyd heard the door shut and he sighed blissfully. Already he was beginning to drift off. A few doors down, he heard the sound of a shower burst to life, and a twinge of annoyance flickered in his half-awake mind. He knew he smelled, sweat and sewers had been permeating his nostrils all day, and he felt rather bad for making the freshly laundered sheets smell like shit…

With a sigh, the angel pulled himself up from bed and dragged himself into the shower. That was one of the few things he found he loved about Tethe'alla: showers. The fresh, always-clean, always-warm water pouring down on his back was so refreshing, unlike in Sylvarant where bath water was not guaranteed to be any of those things. Of course, the downside to a shower was that it had all the effectiveness of coffee in waking him up.

By the time Lloyd stepped out of the shower, the large bathroom filled with steam, his mind was reeling. All the strange realities Lloyd's mind had not managed to grasp earlier now whispered constantly, and Lloyd doubted he could have slept if someone had drugged him. Despite that he had promised his friends that they would question Mithos and Noishe in the morning, Lloyd was completely unable to wait until the others were awake.

Pulling on fresh clothes, Lloyd slipped out of his room and moved lightly down the hall, careful not to make any noise, though none of his friends still appeared to be conscious. There was one room, at the end of the hall that still had light seeping out from under the door. Inside, Lloyd could hear the unmistakable voices of Mithos and Noishe. For some reason, his heart began to pound louder as he raised his fist to knock on the door.

His knocks sounded too loud as they echoed down the corridor and silenced the voices inside, but a moment later, the door was opened by Mithos. "…figured you'd be asleep too. What do you want? I thought we were waiting until tomorrow to play twenty questions." Despite his hostilities, Mithos stepped out of the way to let Lloyd in.

"I really don't trust you till morning, Yggdrasill." Lloyd snapped as he strolled into the room with more confidence than he felt. "Tell me what the hell is going on."

Mithos and Noishe exchanged looks, then the latter sighed. "Lloydie, look… we're from the future too."

Lloyd sucked in a breath through his nose. He'd been expecting this answer, if he was honest with himself, but it was still rather shocking. "How? And how far in the future are you from? If you really _are_ Noishe, you're from _way_ farther than I am." It was the strangest feeling—to actually admit to these two that he was from the future. With Yuan, he had been so concerned with convincing the half-elf he was telling the truth, it didn't feel like an admission. Just more stories he had to tell. This was so much different.

The Leader of Cruxis sighed, "Not exactly. Like I said, Noishe's…well, we'll call it his _human _form is a recent occurrence. He changed while we were falling through time. We're not from _the_ future, we're from _a_ future." There was something so ominous in Mithos' voice; Lloyd almost didn't want to ask, but he was too drawn in now.

"What do you mean…?"

The boy pursed his lips, "I can only theorize, but my understanding is that because of_ your_ travels, there is not a set future."

Lloyd could only blink at him dumbly, "…what?" That wasn't possible, and it wasn't the way Lloyd had understood it to work. Raine and Yuan would have told him if something like that were to happen. And if there was no set future, then how could Mithos and Noishe be standing there, in front of him?

"We're from _a_ future. Because every one of your actions and his reactions, or visa-versa, changes the possibilities of what could happen, time tries to synchronize a future to your actions, but then you take a different path and a different future is born. Ultimately, there are many alternate paths, alternate _universes,_ and we've come from one such possible future." Mithos, for once, did not sound bored. His eyes were serious and solemn and his eyes were just as dark. In the half-light of the room, his child's face was creased with deep lines of worry.

The Eternal Swordsman looked between them, "…I don't think that's how it works…Raine and Yuan would have said something! They wouldn't just leave me hanging like this! Or Origin! He would have _told_ me this was a possibility!"

"Lloyd, be logical: you think _anyone's _attempted this kind of time-travel before you? No. It's too dangerous, and most people don't have the power to in the first place! There _were_ no theories before this because there was never any reason. But already I know things have changed in this course of history compared to ours, which is why I'm in the rather unique position to guess." His lips pulled back again and his words turned scathing. "Aren't I just_ lucky?"_

Noishe sighed and leapt gently to his feet. "Mimi, that's enough. Sit down, I'll talk to him." As the protozoan pushed Mithos toward his bed, he turned to Lloyd with a small, apologetic smile. "Sorry 'bout him, he's been under a lot of pressure lately, this is probably the first time he's had a minute to rest in months… Anyway, what else do you want to know?"

Everything. That seemed a reasonable request at this point. Lloyd almost wished he hadn't come. His head hurt too much, but if this had come out in front of the group…his secrets would have been destroyed as well. It was slowly beginning to dawn on Lloyd just how little he could really handle that. If they knew he'd been lying to them the whole time…this wasn't a matter of race or even _sides_ any more. This was about an all-out war that could destroy worlds. He wasn't sure he could admit to his friends all the things he had done. They would hate him.

"Tell me everything. How'd you get here? What's your future like? _Why_ did you come? I-…wait…" Lloyd eyed the two carefully, remembering something Yuan had said before he left. "When I went back in time, I took over my old life. I became _me_ again, though I kept all my angel powers and stuff. Why aren't you, you know, _you?_"

"Uh, Mithos? I think this one's for you…" Noishe plopped down beside Mithos on the bed. "Lloydie, take a seat, this could be awhile."

The angel glowered between Lloyd and Noishe. "Look, the best I can understand is that it all comes back to this multiple-universe thing again. You're from what I'll call a 'pure' future. It's set, you've made the choices and the timeline is not going to change. Then, when you went back in time, because you're the original, you took your own place. Noishe and I are, for the purpose of my metaphor, tainted. We're from a universe that _isn't_ set in stone, so we couldn't take the place of our other selves. Believe me, I'd hoped I'd be in a position to_ squash_ that treacherous son of a bitch, but the universe had other ideas, as usual."

Lloyd wasn't sure he had understood a word of this, but he nodded and hoped his head would stop hurting. "So…the other questions…then?" It was time to stop thinking and just absorb. That would make this all easier.

He waited for the explanations to begin, but there seemed to be a silent argument going on between the two on the bed. Neither wanted to start explaining. Finally, it was Noishe who lost. "…our future…our_ version_ of the future, isn't very bright. Kvar swooped in and took over, attacked Cruxis while the group was in Tethe'alla, you guys had already weakened Cruxis enough that it was easy for the Desians to take over. I wasn't exactly _there_ for this part, but that's when things started to go wrong—"

"He took us down without any trouble," Mithos hissed. "Locked me in my own damn cells and I had to listen to Kratos scream while he was tortured to death. The bastard brought me his effing head!" The blood had drained from Mithos' face, his clean but ragged hair falling in his eyes as he stared down at the comforter of his bed. His nails dug into the palms of his hands. "I never did hear what happened to Yuan. Don't know if he was captured or on the run or was cut down. Didn't get the chance to ask." His voice was so bitter, so full of regret, Lloyd couldn't help but almost feel_ sorry_ for him.

When Mithos fell silent, Noishe waited for a moment before picking up again. "The group came in after him pretty fast. I think the Renegades had gotten word to you guys or something. I got to stay down in Tethe'alla. You…you'd disappeared. Side effect of the whole time-travel thing. You disappeared at a point in one universe, you've got to disappear from them all. Your actions are completely unpredictable, so the future can't just insert you—you've got too much knowledge and foresight. Well…anyway… Without you, the group lost. Bad."

Lloyd's stomach was twisting as he listened to Noishe tell the story. The moment Mithos had spoken of his father's severed head, he'd known he couldn't handle the rest of the story. Still, though, he sat, silently waiting for more.

"Sheena was killed in the battle, and there are a few whispers that Regal actually made it out alive, but I've never seen him. If he is alive, he's keeping himself as under the radar as possible. Maybe he was trying to start a rebellion on the few humans left in the worlds, but there's not a whole lot to work with down there after the Desians got their way with the worlds… Um…Zelos…Zelos _is_ still alive, and free, for that matter, but he sort of…" Noishe ran a hand through his green locks. "Um…"

"The snake sold you out," Mithos snapped coldly. "He kept the Church of Martel going, so the few people who're still around can turn to my benevolent sister and beg her for their salvation."

Noishe nodded sadly. "Yeah, pretty much… A-anyway, Colette and Presea both had their key crests taken. They're sort of just husks, waiting to die…" The protozoan's voice seemed to grow softer with every fate he bestowed on Lloyd's friends. "Raine…well, after Kvar realized you never showed up to the battle, he figured you'd gone into hiding. He figured that if anyone knew where you were, it would be your teacher… I think she's still alive, but she's been tortured for information. She won't give anything, but she doesn't_ know_ anything. She wouldn't have been alive much longer… And, Genis…" He was whispering now, and when he reached the young half-elf's name, his expression alone told Lloyd more than he wanted to know. There was something more though, more to Genis' story…

"He's dead," Mithos whispered, his face now buried in his hands. His voice was muffled and difficult to read. "Kvar found out fast that I was harder to take down than the rest. I'm an angel, and an old one. He guessed that I might know where you were, but he couldn't get the information out of me, not by any means that kept my heart going. So he figured out another way. I didn't just get to _listen_ to Genis' torture, I got to _watch._" The words were more gasps now than real sound, but Lloyd listened, transfixed. "The one thing Kvar didn't count on was that Genis was a_ kid._ He only lasted a few hours before he gave in and—…and…" A dry sob shook the Kharlan Hero, his face still buried in his hands.

Mithos Yggdrasill was crying.

As Noishe rubbed Mithos' back, Lloyd realized for the first time that he believed their story. It was impossble, it could easily be a lie, but he _knew_ it wasn't. As impossible as it seemed, Mithos and Noishe were _also_ from the future.

"…Mithos," he murmured, "I'm so sorry…" Guilt tugged at Lloyd's heart—Mithos' suffering and Genis' death were_ his_ fault, yet… this apocalyptic future felt utterly unreal. Almost like a story, not something that could actually happen…

The protozoan looked up from Mithos to meet Lloyd's eyes. Noishe's emerald eyes held so many centuries in them, so much pain, and so much light. He shook his head slightly, discouraging Lloyd to bother Mithos. "I think it was a few days later that I found him. I was sort of a dog at the time, so it was pretty easy to sneak around Derris-Kharlan and look for anyone I could help. I managed to break him out of his cell, but we were spotted and had to disappear, or we would have tried for the others. After Mithos' escape, Kvar tripled the guard around the rest of the group. We had to resort to sneaking around Welgaia.

"That's where we found our ticket to the past. See, we had wormed our way into some of the higher-security areas, hoping we could find Kvar and end him, or something like that, when we found it." The _it_ came out so strongly that Lloyd couldn't help be drawn in. "We found a rip in time."

"And, what? You just jumped in? Hoped you'd end up someplace better than where you were?"

Noishe chuckled, "Pretty much, yeah. I hadn't eaten for a week, and Mithos was still weak from being held captive. What else were we going to do? If you'd found a way out at that point, you would've taken it too! And we learned something too. You know how Kvar came back in time?"

Lloyd began slowly, "No… He hinted at a few things, but never gave a real answer. _Wouldn't_ give a real answer… He seemed to think it was more 'fun' this way…" He shook his head. The two mysteries that still eluded him were perhaps two of the most important: how Kvar was alive, and how he had traveled through time.

"That sounds like Kvar," Mithos hissed between the long, pale fingers that still covered his face. "Melodramatic to the very end. You know why he didn't tell you? Because the truth is both scarier and less impressive that what he'd led you to believe.

"You _know?"_ Lloyd demanded. "Tell me!"

Mithos laughed bitterly and Noishe sighed, "Kay, so there are warps in time and space due to…well, Gods know what, that allow for things like time- and dimensional-travel. The idea behind the Eternal Sword's abilities when it comes to things like time and space is that you can create holes and bend space at will instead of the universe doing so at random, 'kay?" Lloyd was already lost. "Well…Kvar somehow survived when you blew up his ranch and he—"

"He waited," Mithos interrupted, his face rising from its bed of fingers and palms. "He waited for Gods know how long, remembering, loathing, plotting how he could have done things differently. Then, one day, a miracle appeared—a portal to another time. Kvar had nothing to lose, he stepped in and it brought him out in the perfect place to extract his revenge."

Lloyd was frozen. The idea of Kvar's plan, his plots, his actions being the result of random chance had never occurred to him before. For a moment, his heart soared. "But that means he's not as powerful as I thought! He didn't make some sort of time machine or have another Eternal Sword! It was just dumb luck!" It had all just been talk! Confidence that had been lost since the failed siege of the Asgard Ranch returned and Lloyd was beaming. "It's fantastic!"

"What's scarier, a villain who can do the impossible by his own hand, or a villain who appears to have luck on his side?" Mithos' voice was riddled with loathing, but behind his words, there was a real sense of horror. "_I_ could do the impossible, and I fell because luck favored my opponents. That, boy, is a truly terrifying adversary."

His stomach plummeted. _That_ was a concept Lloyd had never considered. Dumb luck: the ultimate weapon.

"…so," Lloyd asked quietly, honestly and truly unsure as to how to respond. "Was it luck that kept Kvar alive after Dad stabbed him and we blew him up?" His hands were shaking, Lloyd realized, as he stared down at them resting in his lap. "Because that's something I still don't get…"

Noishe glanced at Mithos, then back to Lloyd when the angel seemed content to stare numbly at the far wall, his anger dying once again to emptiness. "…we'd talked about that a little too, actually…" Noishe said slowly. "See, the thing is Kvar was a bit different from the other Grand Cardinals. Where Magnius intimidated, Forcystus was a hero, and Pronyma and Rodyle manipulated their way into power, Kvar was the best scientist that the Desians had. He'd studied chemistry, biology, and…medicine." The protozoan sighed, "We think he might have somehow patched himself together again after the explosion. Kratos is really good at killing things, but Kvar isn't stupid enough to practically _invite_ you guys to his ranch without a backup plan.

"He could have _pretended_ to be dead after Kratos stabbed him, and then managed to find the safest place in the room to save himself from the explosions. He was suspicious—that's how he's still alive!—and it's totally conceivable that he had a contingency plan all along. After he got out of the rubble of the ranch, he collected what he could and patched himself back together."

"…that's…_insane!"_ Lloyd exploded. "You're telling me Kvar _sewed_ himself back together, then plotted for probably decades about how he could have changed shit, and then a portal just _pops up_ for his convenience? No way! Beyond no way!"

Noishe flipped his green bangs out of his face and sighed, "Lloydie, we're all from the _future._ I don't think it gets much more insane than that, let's be honest." Apparently confident that Mithos would survive his memories, the protozoan pulled his arm away from the angel and instead wrapped both arms around his knees, which he pulled up to rest on the edge of the mattress. "At least you're not alone now…"

Not alone now?_ Not alone now?_ These words seemed the most insane thing Lloyd had heard yet. He felt more isolated than ever! More secrets to keep from his friends, more hints about Kvar and his plans and, perhaps worst of all, the knowledge of what would happen if he failed to kill the Desian. Even listed rather numbly, almost distantly by Noishe, Lloyd felt ripped apart. Each fate was a sword stabbing through his own heart.

And now? Now Kvar was no longer a man, he was a _force._ A force driven by even fate itself, how could Lloyd compete with that?

His head hung, his hands clenched on his lap, Lloyd cursed softly. A few feet away, Noishe was still babbling some nonsense about how he and Mithos could_ help._ Lloyd knew better than that. He wouldn't force Mithos to face Kvar ever again.

"Noishe…" he muttered. "No. You guys go and rest and stuff. Kvar's _my_ problem…" He ran a hand through his hair in the same way Kratos always had.

"Excuse me?" Mithos said, his voice suddenly brimming with hatred. "I fully intend to see Kvar _gutted,_ with or without your help, Aurion. I will _be there_ to see him die. I will rip him limb from limb with my bare fingers for what he's done to me! So you just _try_ to stop me."

Lloyd was staring again. "Wha—? But Mithos…how do we explain you to the group? Or, you know, your…_other _self?" Lloyd's head already wanted to explode. "Just stay out of the way."

"Mimi's right, Lloydie…" Noishe said softly, "We're as tangled up in this as you are, and we're going to help you. We don't want our future to…well, suck like it does now. And…Lloyd…speaking of allies…you should tell your friends."

"No way!" Lloyd answered too quickly.

Noishe sighed and shook his head again, and both of Mithos' eyebrows disappeared into his hairline. "Well, well, looks like Kvar _did_ take a toll on you… What happened to the obnoxious brat who believed in his friends? Who knew he couldn't survive without his friends? Brat, you can't get by on your own. You're screwing yourself over if you try it. _And_ you're leading them blindly into danger. Or did you miss what happened to Fujibayashi?"

Lloyd flinched. Somehow, in all of his musings, it had never occurred to him that he was practically killing his friends. He knew he was lying, but…somehow it had never come together the way Mithos said it.

"Well how would_ you_ handle something like this? I told Yuan and he didn't believe me! The future him had to write him a letter to tell him I was telling the truth! The guys'll flip! Raine and Zelos won't believe me, Colette and Presea are soulless, and Genis and Sheena'll think I've got insane!"

"You're basing the judgments of your closest friends off the initial reaction of _Yuan._ You realize that he is perhaps the most skeptical person to have lived, yes? Your friends may take convincing, but they'll believe you and side with you eventually. I know your friends," Mithos sniffed, as if remembering some unpleasant moments with these friends, "and they will support you till death."

They would. Lloyd _knew_ they would. Yet, something held him back: they were still innocent. Cruxis had broken them, yes, but the intricacies of the universe had not yet made their way into his friend's minds. All the same…

"How? Do we tell them everything? About you? Me? The future? And what about Dad and Yuan? They're out there fighting a_ war,_ they deserve to know too! How do we tell them?"

Mithos waved the questions aside. "All at once. I have an idea…"

…

_Wow that took longer than it should have. Sorry about the wait, guys! Still, hope enough questions were answered that you don't hate me!_

_R&R_

_~Yoshi_


	34. Chapter 34

_Again, we're blaming homework and my sudden, undeniable urge to read for the lack of productivity as far as chapter has gone. For this, I profusely apologize; I'm going as fast as I can what with the semester wrapping up and my own personal projects floating around._

_So, I was hoping to get this chapter on the road as quickly as possible but…Lloyd insisted on delaying us, and then he got in a fight and, well, let's just say nobody felt quite ready to leave Zelos' yet, therefore the chapter decided to move slowly._

…

"Yuan? It's Lloyd, are you there…?" Lloyd asked the communicator. He was back in his room, sitting on the bed with the small metal box held up to his lips.

It was a long few moments before Yuan replied with a sigh of static. _"Yes, I'm here. Are you calling for an update?"_

Lloyd hesitated. With everything that he had been told in the past few hours, his mind had been on an alternative future, and not on the war that was happening_ now._ "Er…yeah, that and something else, but…why don't you tell me what's going on first…"

"_We're holding out,"_ Yuan said simply. _"Kvar's men have made it into the city, but we have them contained within a few miles. The angels and Kratos are on the front lines, though Kratos has…retreated for the moment."_

The tone in which Yuan said "retreated" made Lloyd's heart jump uncomfortably to his throat. "Yuan…is he alright?"

His breath was short as he waited for an answer. _"He's alive, and it was nothing more than a few wounds, but apparently Kvar attacked him. Yggdrasill had to swoop in and save him, but he's more than alive."_

All at once, the tension that had built up was released in a sigh and Lloyd silently thanked the higher powers that be that his father was still alive. At the same time, he tried to suppress the grisly images that Mithos' story had created. "I want you guys to get off of Derris-Kharlan," he said before he could think about how Yuan would really react. "Get down to Tethe'alla and let the angels hold Kvar's army off."

"_We'll lose the city if we do that. Kvar has control of the Tower, we can't afford to lose Welgaia as well. Besides, where the hell would we go? What good would we be down in the worlds?"_ The Renegade was beyond skeptical, he was flat-out rejecting Lloyd's request. _"We can't let our worries get in the way of winning this damn war."_

It was the way Yuan said it, his inflections the same as when he would say_ Kharlan War,_ that made Lloyd realize the gravity of the war that he had helped start. This wasn't about possible futures, it wasn't about his own travels through time, or even Kvar's. It was about stopping a monster from wiping out the two worlds in a way that only he could.

"You're gonna _want_ to be down here. Bring Dad and Yggdrasill and meet me at Altessa's house. You know, the dwarf? We can keep an eye on the situation from there, and I need to get him to make a key crest for Colette and Presea… and there's someone I want you to meet."

He had Yuan's attention now. _"Who?"_

"It's too much to explain over the phone like this, but I want you guys to meet us at Altessa's in…let's try for three days. If you're not there, I'm going to do something stupid like storm the Tower of Salvation or something."

Yuan chuckled, _"Unfortunately, I wouldn't put that past you. Do you have any intention of warning the group that you've invited their enemies to meet you? I'd hate to get in the middle of something like this if you have no intention of telling them what they're getting into. And, for that matter, what am I to tell your father and Yggdrasill? Something tells me the latter will not be thrilled backing off, especially not to meet with you."_

"At this point Yuan, don't tell them anything, or tell them a little bit or whatever. Just don't tell them_ everything…_ I've got plans…"

"You're_ going to tell them, then?"_

"…yeah, actually. And I only wanna do it once, so I want to tell Yggdrasill and Dad when I tell the others, got it?"

"…" there was another rush of static as Yuan sighed again._ "I'll have them there for you. I wouldn't miss this for the world, boy. Just be prepared to answer a _lot_ of questions."_

"Kay. I gotta go, Yuan, but I'll see you in a few days, bye."

The communication was cut and Lloyd breathed a sigh of relief. That was one less thing he had to do. Unfortunately, the next was going to be far more difficult. Convincing Yuan that he had to go to Altessa's was somehow much easier than convincing the group to leave the comfort of Meltokio and to somehow get to Altessa's house without answering too many questions was going to be nearly impossible as far as he was concerned. At least he had Mithos and Noishe, though he had a sneaking suspicion that they were going to be more of a hindrance than a help.

It was early morning when he wandered downstairs, completely unable to sleep for even a moment, despite the day's excess of exhaustion. The lower floors of Zelos' mansion smelled of the heaven that was breakfast. The scent of baking and the grilling of sausage filled the air and made even Lloyd's mouth water. The dining hall was already filled with food, most of which was being magically kept warm as it sat on the table and waited to be consumed.

Lloyd sat heavily in a chair and began loading a plate with bacon, waffle, and eggs. He already had a mouthful when Raine laughed and said quietly from across the table, "And good morning to you too, Lloyd."

He jumped, blushed, and swallowed painfully. "M-morning Raine…" Even with all the food, he was horrified that he had missed that she was in the room. "How'd you sleep?"

"Rather unwell, unfortunately," the Professor sighed. "I was up half the night worrying about our new… guests. I don't trust them Lloyd. I know you want to trust them, but realistically…"

Lloyd laughed, "You're kidding, right? Last night, I didn't trust them an _inch,_ but I also knew that we had about as much chance arguing and fighting them last night as we would if they just stabbed us in our sleep! But…well, I'll be honest, I went and talked to them last night, and…well, things are a lot more complicated than we first realized… But I also had an epiphany last night!"

Raine's eyes widened, "Lloyd…did you just use epiphany…_correctly?_ By the Gods, this journey must be doing something for you." It was proof of Raine's trust in Lloyd that she ignored his thoughts on Mithos and Noishe, however much she wanted to know, and waited for Lloyd to tell her willingly.

He sighed sarcastically, "Yeah, look, the point is…I think I figured out a way to help Colette." The Professor's eyes widened and she sobered, nodding for Lloyd to continue. "When we were in Sybak, well…we found out that Presea is being used in an experiment to create Cruxis Crystals…" Lloyd explained what he had been unable to the day before about what they had learned from Kate, and about the deal she had made with him. "I think that whatever she tells us…well, I bet it could help Colette too, you know? Maybe there was something I was overlooking when I made the new crest, or maybe they know a dwarf who's better at making crests than I am, you know?"

The teacher nodded slowly. "…it's not much, all things considered, but it's more than we had. And even if it _doesn't_ lead us in the right direction, we have put Presea in danger enough times that we have to try to help her… but I wonder how we'll manage to get back to Sybak. I doubt the bridge will be let down for some days, and we don't have rheiards enough to carry the whole group…"

"Damn," Lloyd swore, suddenly realizing that he had not taken this into account when he'd told Yuan to meet them in three days. "Well crap, how're we going to manage this…?"

"Lloyd," Raine chuckled, "it isn't as though we couldn't just wait it out. Zelos' staff is loyal enough that we wouldn't be found here, and, frankly, we could all use a few days to recover." When Lloyd didn't immediately answer, the woman's shoulders slumped and she eyed Lloyd tiredly, "What are you telling me?"

_Lie_, Lloyd thought tiredly, _it's time to lie again._ "I just…" he hesitated, "…I'm not sure if we've_ got_ a few days. I don't want to leave Colette or Presea stuck like this! It's not fair! I'll take a few trips _back and forth_ on the rheiards if that's what it takes, but I can't just sit around doing nothing while they're getting their souls sapped!"

Raine's eyes were not nearly so cold, but she was still suspicious. "…there's more to this, isn't there? Is it something Mithos said?" She was too perceptive. _Always_ so damn perceptive!

"…a little bit," he admitted softly. "It's a lot of things that've been getting to me…but I just—Colette losing her soul was_ my fault,_ and I was the one who came up with the brilliant idea to get Presea in on our shit, and we're running around Tethe'alla while there's a _war_ going on!" The fork in Lloyd's hand bent and snapped in two; he swore and dropped the mutilated instrument.

"Lloyd, none of this is your fault," Raine corrected gently. "We made decisions as a group and will accept the consequences as a group."

He could only shake his head as he grabbed for another fork and dug angrily into his breakfast. The food didn't taste nearly so good now.

Raine clearly wanted to ask him something and her lips parted, but Mithos walked in before she could get the words out and the Professor abruptly closed her mouth. Mithos, contrary to the night before, was clean, refreshed, and was now dressed in fitting clothes. Calm and collected, he appeared the exact opposite of Lloyd.

"Morning Mithos," Lloyd was almost glad of the interruption, he had admitted too much. "Sleep well?"

The angel shot Lloyd a slightly annoyed look, but otherwise shrugged. "Well enough I suppose. I expect Noishe will be down soon," he added as he delicately picked a piece of fruit out from the heaping offerings around them. "The smell of breakfast will drag him down here. He hasn't had a decent meal in awhile."

Both of Raine's eyebrows shot up at these words. "Where have you been that you haven't been able to get decent nutrition?" She eyed Mithos to see if he was too thin. For the first time, Lloyd realized he _was._ Months, or so he could only presume, of torture had taken healthy pounds of fat off of the child Mithos, creating terrifyingly gaunt cheeks and brittle-looking limbs.

Despite the fact that Lloyd knew Mithos was still terrifyingly strong, he couldn't help pushing a plate of pancakes toward the half-elf. "Eat something then. You look ready to—" Lloyd choked on his last word, which would have been _die._ "—pass out. Eat."

Mithos glared at him again, irritated at having to take orders. Despite this, he took a few fluffy cakes and put them on his plate, pouring syrup over them. "To answer your question, Ms. Sage," he said as he stabbed one of the pancakes with his fork and began cutting it to pieces, "as a half-elf in Tethe'alla, I haven't been permitted into any sort of _decent _eating establishment for some time. I suppose it is to be expected, but we could hardly be cooking homemade meals while wandering across continents."

"I take "we" to mean yourself and…Noishe?" Raine said the protozoan's name with hesitance, glancing at Lloyd as she did so. "Why were you so bent on travel? You must have a home…"

Lloyd held his breath as Mithos took an absent bite of his food, then tilted his head to the side, watching Raine while he chewed. After he swallowed he began again, "Home hasn't been an option for me for awhile. Again, half-elf. My parents died when I was a kid and my sister…is also dead…" His voice broke and to cover it up, Mithos downed a few more bites of pancake.

"Forgive me, but why would you come to _Meltokio?_ It seems that there is no place more racist."

The former leader of Cruxis chuckled, "You haven't seen much of Tethe'alla yet, Ms. Sage. You will soon, I expect, but for now you can remain blissfully ignorant. There are _far_ worse places in this world then Meltokio. I came here to find _your_ group. That is my only purpose in coming this far."

"Us?" There was no attempt to mask the curiosity and suspicion in Raine's voice now. "Why us? How did you even know about us?"

Mithos waved her words aside, "Questions to be answered on a later date. I promise you, you will not be disappointed, right Lloyd?" He was pulling Lloyd into the conversation—and the blame.

"…yeah," he said softly, "won't disappoint."

…

"We're not going to travel with them, or even leave this _house_ 'till we've heard it too!" Genis roared, his high voice straining to be commanding. The young half-elf was furious, and not alone. The group was insisting on hearing Mithos and Noishe's story. All of Lloyd's friends stood against him, refusing to budge.

But Lloyd refused to budge too.

"Why can't you trust me, Genis? You_ need_ to trust me!" If Mithos and Noishe told their story, Lloyd would be forced to tell his. He had no intention of creating more lies only to be proven a liar later. They would have to be patient. They _had_ to be patient.

"Because you don't trust us!" Sheena snapped vehemently. Her eyes were narrowed furiously, making her scarring more pronounced. "You keep telling us to trust you, but you never trust us! We can't do this, Lloyd."

Genis' face was red as he began to yell, "What happened to you! You got on this stupid journey, you started hanging out with Kratos and you got all freakyand secretive! After what happened with Kratos, how do we know you're not going to betray us too!" A tear leaked out of his eye and streaked a wet trail down his cheek.

The adults stared at Genis, shocked by this accusation. For all his secrecy and lies, none of them had suspected him of working for Cruxis. The thought in and of itself had never occurred to Lloyd in his wildest dreams, yet his best friend had just proclaimed that he thought Lloyd could well be a traitor.

"We better damn hope he's not a traitor," Zelos chuckled, breaking the silence. "Or he'd be the most inept bastard I've ever met! Trust me, brat, if you want someone dead, you don't go saving their life on a regular basis. Don't get me wrong," he hedged as Genis opened his mouth to argue, "Bud's clearly keeping secrets, but you really think he wants you _dead? _You're an idiot if that's where you're going with it. I'm with you, Lloydie-boy, but we damn well better find out what's going on soon."

Lloyd hesitated a moment, then, slowly, his words began to spill out. "Soon, soon, soon, I promise. It's just…just…there are…others who need to hear this too, and I can't ask Mithos to tell the story two more times…he couldn't do it, he could barely get through when he told me last night. Please believe me when I say that I'm going to tell you _everything,_ but not just yet…and I want Colette to hear too…"

Genis' hands were clenched, his pale cheeks colored scarlet, and his eyes tinged with betrayal and anger. He was the only one who still seemed to be set against Lloyd, however, as Raine, Zelos, and Sheena all seemed at least willing to give Lloyd a few more days.

"I…" Sheena looked between Genis and Lloyd. "…I don't like it. I don't want to wait, but…I want to trust you, Lloyd. A few more days, until we can figure out how to help Colette, I'll wait."

"See? Settled. Knew we'd figure something out!" Zelos grinned around at his friends.

Raine's crystal eyes met Lloyd's own red-brown and Lloyd saw all of her misgivings. She wanted to trust him as well, but her common sense was getting in the way. "…you have a week, Lloyd. If you haven't told us of your own free will in seven days, we'll find out for ourselves."

"Agreed." Lloyd nodded his consent, but his heart was pounding. How was he supposed to tell them? How could he make the words come out, even when it was time?

…

"Are we sure we want to do this?" Sheena asked uncertainly, "I've got some contacts in Meltokio that could probably set us up with a boat… It'd be a lot more subtle than taking two trips back and forth between Meltokio and Sybak…" They had four rheiards, nine people to fly back and forth, and most of the flyers were too weak to carry two people with them.

"…I think getting out of Meltokio with as little attention drawn to ourselves as possible is the best route," Raine said softly. "Rheiards are faster than boats anyway." And, of course, Raine hated water. Any other form of travel was preferable to her. "And we cannot afford to be in anyone's debt."

Zelos grunted in agreement. "How're we gonna do this? Who can actually fly these bitches? I've got a little practice, and I should be strong enough, Bud, you can too…"

"Wait a second, how the hell can_ you_ fly a rheiard?" Sheena demanded, rounding on the Chosen of Tethe'alla, her eyebrows raised skeptically.

He chuckled, "Being in the upper class has its advantages, Ms. Ninja. Anyway, who else is on back-and-forth duty? And who's staying behind?"

"Zelos, you and Sheena and Noishe get Raine, Genis, and Mithos over first," Lloyd slipped into a role of commandment easily. "And Colette, Presea, and I'll wait here until one of you comes back with another rheiard and take the rest of us over."

There was a general murmur of agreement and Lloyd watched his friends climb onto rheiards and disappear into the bright blue sky. Lloyd sat and twisted one of his swords so that it rested on his lap and he could easily pull it out to defend his friends. Presea and Colette were silent, and Lloyd was well aware that any sort of conversation would be entirely pointless. They sat for an hour before, on the horizon, Zelos appeared.

The Chosen was waving and grinning, his red hair flying as he moved toward them. "Everyone else's at the inn, awaiting your arrival." He hopped off the rheiard and offered a hand to Presea, "Shall we, milady?"

Lloyd pulled out his own rheiard and they took off, Colette's arms wrapped around Lloyd's middle.

"…Genis hates you right now, you know that, right?" Zelos called over the wind as the ascended above the clouds. As soon as they had reached an altitude where they wouldn't be easily seen by those below, they could hear each other more easily.

The men watched each other for a long moment before Lloyd finally spoke, "I'd figured he did, yeah… doesn't make it any easier, though…" He sighed and turned away from Zelos, looking out over the bright blue sky. "But we're all working for the same thing—to help Colette, and now Presea, and figure out how to save the worlds. That's all that matters…"

Zelos chuckled, "Bud, you better watch out when you say shit like that, he'll think you don't _wanna_ be friends anymore. Not that I'd blame you for that, kid's a real brat." Lloyd knew Zelos was smirking. "…what I don't get is what you're doing keeping all these secrets. I get the little angel not telling you about how she was gonna die, though her reason's stupid, and I get your beautiful teacher and her bitchy brother keeping that they were half-elves from you, but you! You're about as squeaky clean as they come as far as I can tell. What do you want from all this?"

For the first time, Lloyd laughed, "Zelos, that's just a half-assed way of trying to get me to tell you the truth ahead of everybody else, and that's not happening. You'll find out later."

"You're so mean, Bud."

…

Sybak was quiet at midmorning, though the sun was already high in the sky as the group wandered their way through the streets, keeping to back alleys until they reached the manhole that lead to the basement of the Elemental Research Academy. It was on the far end of the city, down by the docks and Lloyd hurried his friends down into the sewers.

"Eww…" Zelos complained loudly, "Smells just as rancid down here as it did yesterday…"

There was a collective sigh as Sheena led them carefully along the side of the drain below until they had reached the simple wooden door that would lead to the underground room where Kate and her associates were. Sheena knocked quietly, none of them daring to open the door on the off chance that there was another human inside with the half-elves. After a few minutes, the door was opened by Kate herself, her eyes wide.

"You're…back!" She seemed genuinely shocked by their appearance. "I was sure you were dead…"

"Well, we survived, just barely though. You mind letting us in? We'll introduce you to our friends—the ones we were telling you about."

If possible, Kate's eyes grew even wider as she beckoned them inside and watched the procession file into the small room. "So you really did run to save half-elves…but…I thought you said there were only two. Who is this?"

"Mithos is a recent addition to our party, we met he and Noishe last night."

It seemed impossible to Lloyd that they had only met the two last night; so much had happened in less than a day, it felt more like a week had gone by. He was beginning to regret not having slept the night before, he was fine physically, but mentally his nerves were raw and his emotions steamed just below the surface of his calm demeanor. He let Zelos do the talking, listening silently as he was told things he already knew.

"So, you keeping up your side of the bargain or what?" Zelos crossed his arms and smirked almost threateningly at the woman. "Cause I wanna make sure that my little Rosebud doesn't get hurt 'cause of that bastard the Pope, you know?"

Kate's eyes flickered between Zelos, Presea, and Raine before she nodded. "I—…of course. Presea's exsphere is just like a regular exsphere, all one would have to do would be to craft the proper kind of key crest for it. Unfortunately, she requires a more advanced, complicated sort of crest. I will be difficult to find. The only one I know who can create such a crest is the dwarf Altessa; he lives just east of Ozette. Go to him and convince him to create the crest and you can help Presea."

Zelos nodded wisely and looked over his shoulder at the group, "What do ya' think, is she telling the truth?"

Raine sighed, "We've no reason to believe she is not. Besides, a dwarf is probably exactly what we need to help Colette." She nodded politely to Kate. "Thank you for your assistance; if not for your trust in my friends, my brother and I would be dead, so we thank you."

"Of course, half-elves must do all we can to help each other… I wish you luck on your Journey."

Lloyd was the first one to file back out into the sewers; something about that tiny underground laboratory made his skin crawl, and he preferred the putrid smell of the sewer to the heavy oppression that lived in the air of the Elemental Research Academy.

"So that's it then?" Zelos called ahead to Lloyd, "We're going to this Altessa guy's to try to get Rosebud and the Little Angel figured out?"

"That's the idea."

…

_Everybody thank the Doctor Who Soundtrack for the chapter, or it would have taken sooo much longer. Lloyd may not have a box, but he's a time-traveling madman as far as I'm concerned. _

_R&R_

_~Yoshi_


	35. Chapter 35

_As of right now, I've decided to try to wrap the story up in, including this chapter, about six more chapters. This is only a tentative schedule, and is almost certainly going to be subject to change, but this is where I stand for now. I hope to continue getting chapters out at this pace, perhaps even faster once Christmas break rolls around, but I fear the next chapter will be a week late as I've got about four papers and a bunch of finals due, and I'd rather not have a chapter hanging over my head as well, but we'll see._

_On another note, what I intend to write after Paradox is finished is up on my profile, as well as a poll that I'd really appreciate some input on. I've got a few different ideas for what I want to write next, all Tales related,_ _and I'm curious what my readers think. You have to suffer through reading it, so you may as well pick your poison. Like I said, I'll really appreciate what you have to say!_

_In the meantime, enjoy chapter 35._

…

The Gaoracchia Forrest was a maze of dark, twisting paths that led far out of the way, only to bring one circling back after hours of wandering. It was though it was ideally meant to exhaust the casual wanderer and discourage them from closer examination. It was really no wonder that both the Tower of Salvation and Mizuho were hidden within its depths. The forest was so vast that it surrounded several cliff-like mountains, and was filled with little-explored territory.

As such, it came as no surprise to Lloyd that, in their slow wandering, they were attacked not an hour into their Journey.

A small group of Papal Knights, clearly a scout of a larger group, gasped first in surprise, then in thrill at the sight of them. "We found them!" gasped their leader. The man was set apart from the group by the almost gaudy gold additions to the green papal symbols on his armor. _"We_ found them! If we bring the Chosen back… Goddess this is gonna be good…" What little could be seen of the man's face curled into a greedy smirk. "Get 'em boys!"

Zelos snorted and tugged out his sword, "I'm just _dying_ to see you try." The rest of the group took up their places behind the Chosen of Tethe'alla. Genis and Raine pulled Colette to the back with them while Lloyd, Presea, Zelos, and Sheena took to the frontlines. Mithos and Noishe alone were left scrambling; not only did both lack weapons, but they were unused to the group's style and were undernourished. After a moment of hesitation, Mithos grabbed Noishe and pulled him to the back, scowling.

"Stay behind me and don't do anything_ stupid,_ Mutt." Ignoring Noishe's insulted grumblings, the angel began muttering what sounded like an absolutely terrifying spell. Raine and Genis followed suit.

Lloyd managed to turn his attention back to his own battle in time to dodge a full-on _axe_ strike from one of the men. While he was struggling to raise the heavy weapon again, Lloyd slipped around behind him and slashed at his armor, looking for a weak place. None was found, but he managed to knock the man onto his stomach, the handle of the axe denting the front of his bulky armor.

Not letting himself think, Lloyd flipped the man over and stabbed the knight at the center of his concave armor. The already warped metal gave easily and the man's death was almost instant. That was one down, four to go. Just as Lloyd thought it, a burst of light mana sent another soldier stumbling back, away from Presea, and to the ground, dead.

The other three men all stopped to stare in horror at their fallen comrades, giving Zelos and Sheena the opening they needed to finish off another, and Presea to slice of a fourth's legs. He screamed and toppled to the ground before he was silenced. The last man standing was the leader, who had wisely let his men surge forward while he hung back. Even as the group turned on him, he was already running back the way he had come, presumably to report to his superior.

"…we need to move, _now," _Raine commanded. "They'll be coming back with greater numbers. Let's take the path that goes east and hope for the best, we don't have time for more figuring than that." She was right, and they moved off into the woods. For almost half-an-hour, they moved as quickly as they could while making as little noise as possible. Finally though, Raine allowed them to slow.

"This should be far enough for now, but we should keep our ears open for them…" She hesitated and glanced back at the winded group. "…I have a question, though. Mithos, where did you learn that attack? It was incredibly powerful, and not something I'd expect from a half-elf boy from the slums." Suspicion riddled her voice and her eyes were narrowed.

Mithos hesitated a moment, first looking at the ground, then at Lloyd, before returning his eyes to the Professor. "I traveled with my elder sister for a long time before she was killed. She was a healer as well as a master of the usual sorts of light mana and she taught me much of what she knew." His explanation was perfect; it was not only reasonable, but also clearly touched something in Raine as she nodded silently and let the topic drop.

Zelos raised a perfect red eyebrow at the exchange, then shrugged and laughed. "Well, Martel only knows that we could use a good light-user or two in the Forest of Thieves." He conveniently missed the way Mithos flinched at his sister's name. "Sheena, you remember the stories, right? The thief who got away with a King's ransom and buried it somewhere in this forest. Then he left to wait out a few years until all the hype died down and he could collect his treasure. 'Cept he never came back: the guards got him and killed him before he could collect. Apparently, his partner rotted him out. Few weeks after his execution, the traitor was found dead in his bed. Wife didn't hear anyone sneak in, and she'd spent the whole night beside him. The next day, the first monsters started appearing in the forest again, and people started disappearing. Everyone who got too close just_ vanished!"_

The adults of the group chuckled lightly, though some, like Mithos, found themselves more annoyed than amused. Genis, however, jumped slightly, but tried to cover it up, "T-that's so stupid, Zelos. Everyone knows that ghosts are just a dark-mana monster, there's absolutely _no_ scientific evidence to support this stupid _lost spirit_ stuff!"

"Souls are stronger than you'd think, Genis," Mithos said quietly from where he and Noishe were walking a bit apart from the group. Oddly, the canine Noishe walked along beside his humanoid counterpart as the latter gently scratched his ears.

Strangely, Lloyd realized as he wandered along the dark path, continuously glancing down to check that he wasn't about to stumble over a branch, this was the first time that Mithos had spoken directly to Genis. While they hadn't known each other more than twenty-four hours, it had taken much less time for them to become friends the first time the two boys had met. This was another number on the growing list of reasons that Lloyd wasn't entirely sure he could trust the former leader of Cruxis. It wasn't so much that he doubted the half-elf's story, but that he wasn't sure how much sanity Mithos had retained after seeing all of his closest friends murdered.

Genis glanced back at Mithos, his crystal eyes narrowed, "What do_ you_ know about souls? You're just a kid!"

Mithos met his gaze without emotion, "More than I'd like, actually. And—" His voice tapered out when he saw the glare Lloyd was sending his way. If he didn't give everything away, than he would paint a _very_ incorrect picture of who he was, and that was the _last_ thing Lloyd wanted to deal with. "…and it's beside the point."

When the group had fallen back into an awkward silence, Lloyd heard Noishe whisper, "Great Origin he looks like Kratos when he does that!"

"You can't honestly be surprised," Mithos snapped back under his breath.

Lloyd looked away, wondering if he had been meant to hear the exchange, and if anyone else had heard it. In his quick twitch away, Lloyd caught sight of a figure appearing through the trees and he froze, his sword already in his hands and pointed at Regal's throat. "You again," he hissed. Despite the duke's open stance, it wasn't difficult for Lloyd to tense, ready to fight.

Regal raised his hands, wrists clamped tightly into handcuffs, above his head, "I mean you no harm, I merely wish to talk to that girl." He carefully nodded toward Presea, cautiously not allowing his hands to move. Some logical part of Lloyd wondered at why Regal had put his hands above his head in the first place: they were useless when he fought, and at the rate Lloyd was going, he was still open to attack if Regal decided to aim for anywhere below his stomach.

"What do you want with Presea?" Genis demanded, stepping protectively between the girl and the convict. "You tried to kill us before, why should we let you anywhere near her?" Around Genis, the rest of the group moved to protect the girl, and Lloyd saw Regal's face tense slightly, but other than this, the man gave no reaction.

"Her name is Presea, then… I only want to talk to her. And as for your other accusation, I had no intention of killing you, and I have no reason to now. I only had orders to bring the girl known as Colette Brunel to the Papal Knights." His face twisted in disgust as he spoke of the Knights.

Raine hesitated, "We're being perused by the Knights now; how do we know this isn't a ruse to slow us down?"

Something between annoyance and admiration flashed across Regal's face. "And what could I do to convince you I mean you no harm?"

"Get the hell out?" Zelos suggested innocently.

Lloyd sighed and lowered his sword, though he kept it in a better defensive position. "Two minutes, talk."

"But Lloyd-!" Genis cried in indignation.

"Two minutes Genis, if he does _anything…"_ Lloyd mimed stabbing Regal through the middle. "He won't hurt her, trust me." Immediately, Lloyd regretted using that phrase as Genis' eyes darkened angrily. Muttering, the young half-elf stepped aside.

Regal moved forward, until he was standing before Presea who eyed him blankly. "What is your name…?" He asked softly, eyes flicking over her face.

It was a long moment before the girl responded, "Presea Combatir." Her words were so precise, so business-like, and so wrong coming out of such a young girl's mouth.

"Combatir…so I was right!" Regal murmured triumphantly to himself. "Presea, do you have an elder sister?"

This question took much longer to answer, as though she was dragging the memories up from some lost corner of her mind. "…no…" she shook her head, but some small light flickered behind her eyes. "Only a younger."

The duke's face fell as Presea fell silent again. "…perhaps she was a cousin then…" Regal muttered, and was about to ask another question when the distinctive clatter of armor echoed through the trees. Regal's face lost all color in the darkness of the forest. "No! No I didn't lead them here, I swear!" His words fell on deaf ears as Genis hurled a fireball at the prisoner.

Regal ducked under the fire, but Zelos was on top of him almost immediately, slamming the hilt of his sword into the man's head. "No one touches my hunnies and gets away with it, bitch."

There was a collective groan from the rest of the group, but Lloyd chuckled. "Good one Zelos. We don't have to fry him…but do you think he was telling the truth about not leading them here?"

Zelos shrugged, "How the hell should we know? Let's get the hell out of here before the Pope's men find us!"

"But we can't just leave him here! If he was telling the truth, he's dead!"

"We can't just lug him around! Ozette's still _ages_ away!"

There were shouts now, and Lloyd felt his heartbeat quicken. "But-!"

"Lloyd, be realistic, we can't carry him to Ozette, and it's too dangerous to wake him up and take him along in case he _is_ telling the truth! We'll move him to the bushes so that he's harder to find, but we cannot take him along!" Raine was trying to take control of the situation, but they were all jumping at the smallest sounds, expecting the Papal Knights to jump out and attack them at any moment.

"Or we could…" Sheena hesitated, then sighed, "…the Knights are too close for us to get to Ozette safely anyway, so…I guess I'll take you to Mizuho…" She looked utterly unsure of herself. Suddenly, Lloyd realized how little Sheena wanted to return to Mizuho. He hadn't imagined how a village that already disliked Sheena would react to her new appearance. "It's less than a mile, we can take him along as a prisoner."

He looked at her seriously, "If you don't want to, we don't have to."

While the majority of the group looked baffled, Sheena turned red and looked furious. "Of course I _want_ to! I suggested it, and you really think I want to get caught! Let's just go already, somebody carry the big guy!" Before anyone could question her again, Sheena had turned on her heel and was storming toward Mizuho.

Lloyd carried Regal on his back off the trail behind Sheena and the others. The closer they got to Mizuho, the further behind the sounds of the soldiers became until even Lloyd's angelic hearing could no longer pick up their movements.

Mizuho was tucked between forest and mountain, and only a simple collection of wooden houses, small gardens, and shrines. The sentry guarding the gate looked up in shock as the group grew closer, and the shock turned to anger as he spotted Sheena leading the group. Despite the fear that Sheena must have felt, she walked forward purposely, not looking back. "Sheena!" called the man, "What are you _thinking?_ Strangers aren't allowed in the village!"

"We're being perused by the Papal Knights, there was nowhere else we could go. I'll talk to Tiga, he'll understand…"

Orochi sighed, "…well, I can't stop you. Your friends will have to wait outside though."

"Of course."

The group was directed to a small, empty square in the middle of Mizuho. Lloyd carefully lowered Regal onto the dirt and rolled his shoulders: the man was_ heavy._ "Well…Mizuho. Not what I expected to do today, I'll be honest." He plopped down beside Regal and Zelos joined him.

"I'll say. The ninja are _super_ secretive. Your average Joe hasn't got a chance in a million of actually seeing this place!"

Noishe settled on Lloyd's other side, laughing, "Sweetie, we are _not_ Joe." The ridiculousness of this statement had the rest of the group giggling lightly and Noishe grinned. "Mizuho's pretty though, isn't Mimi? _Way_ better than Sybak!"

"You're from Sybak?" Raine jumped on the tidbit.

"What? No, it's just, that was the last place we were in and it's really…stony. All bricks and books. Mizuho's got wood and trees! That's the way to go, man!" When listening to the Protozoan prattle, it was obvious that he had been a dog for several thousand years. He was so…_chipper_ and he seemed to practically be smelling the air.

Mithos sighed, "Noishe, shut up. No one thinks you're cute." The boy had planted his head in his hands, his fingertips sliding up to his blond hairline and he spoke to the ground more than the protozoan.

Zelos cocked his head to the side, eyeing the pair. "So, can I ask how you two know each other? I mean… you're kinda a weird couple. Or am I pushing it? We'll find everything out soon, so should I wait?" Zelos' voice said quite clearly that he had no intention of letting the question go unanswered.

Noishe smiled, "Oh, we've known each other for_ever._ Mimi's, like, practically my best Bro's _brother!_ We're gonna see him soon, and I can't_ wait!"_ He clapped childishly, looking about ready to bounce to his feet and begin skipping circles around the group.

"Who's your Bro?" Zelos quirked an eyebrow.

"You'll find that out later," Mithos snapped snidely. "Enough questions. Beside, your convict is waking up."

It was true, after almost half-an-hour, Regal was stirring. He raised his head with a groan and blinked groggily at them. "W-where am I…?" Gingerly, he shifted so that he was kneeling and facing Lloyd. "Where have you brought me?"

Lloyd glanced around at his friends, not sure if they were going to permit him to continue to play leader with trust as low as it was, but they all seemed to think that, as Lloyd had insisted on bringing the man, he was going to be the one to run the interview. "…you're in Mizuho. We brought you here after Zelos knocked you out. We weren't sure if you had really brought the soldiers to us or not, so we brought you with as our prisoner. You can't hurt us if you did lead them to us, and you're not hurt if you didn't. Win-win."

Regal blinked; Lloyd friendliness was apparently the last thing he had expected to find when he awoke. "And…who are you?" He studied Lloyd with sharp eyes, carefully taking in the boy's face before turning to examine the rest of the group.

"Lloyd Irving. Who're you, and why are you after Colette and how do you know Presea?" If his friends wanted answers, he could at least get them here.

"…I do not know Presea, we met for the first time in the Meltokio sewers, but…she merely looked like someone I once knew, and I wanted to confirm my suspicions. As for Colette…I was under orders to capture her and return her to the Pope. She is, I have been told, a threat to Tethe'alla. I did not think that bringing in a threat to the world could be too great a sin. I was not told that she was so young, so for that I will apologize."

Zelos snorted, "Then why the hell were you trying to kill the rest of us? Seriously, you could have at least _tried_ to talk instead of just freaking _attacking!"_ Despite his angry words, the Chosen of Tethe'alla was lounging back, almost as if he was enjoying this. His eyes, however, were slightly narrowed as he tried to place where he had seen Regal before.

The convict glared at Zelos, "You, too, have been called a threat to Tethe'alla. A Chosen who betrays his people is hardly deserving of mercy."

"What you've told us is that you work for the Pope," Raine said, bringing the point back around. "This would imply that you were working for the Papal Knights in the forest. Why should we allow you to live?" She was coldly logical, and Genis was nodding along with his sister's words.

Regal seemed to expand with anger, "I am many things, but I have never been a liar! When I met you in the forest, I had no idea that the Knights were there to begin with. As I said, I wanted to ask Presea if she was related to my…acquaintance. That is all."

Lloyd glanced around at the disbelieving faces of his friends, then to the empty eyes of Colette and Presea. "…" He knew what he wanted to say, but to convince the group…this couldn't be one more thing to add to their supposed "trust" in him. Noishe and Mithos were both only with them because Lloyd had insisted that they were trustworthy, but nothing about Regal's story checked out.

"…well, I suppose we could hand him over to Mizuho to knock out and drop off in Sybak or something," Zelos suggested. "If he's the Pope's man, they'll be glad to have him back, and really, what would they learn from this? I mean, Mizuho doesn't even really count as an ally yet, so they wouldn't even gain _that._ Course…nah, that's stupid."

Raine sighed, already knowing that Zelos was playing with them . "Out with it already, Zelos." She crossed her arms and glared down at the Chosen.

"Weeeeellll…" he drew out the word comically. "If he _is_ the Pope's man, he could guarantee us safe passage through the forest in exchange for, say, his life when we get to Ozette, and if he's not, then we sneak and fight our way through like we'd have to anyway! If anything we gain two more hands…er, feet. Whatever."

The group looked at Zelos in shock: let this convict fight with them? What the hell was he thinking?

Lloyd grinned, "Sounds fool-proof to me! Let's go say hi to the ninja, stay the night here, we can get going in the morning, and be to Altessa's by tomorrow night!" They would probably even beat Yuan, Mithos, and Kratos to the dwarf's home, which would give Lloyd a little time to prepare. "Man the group's growing fast!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Genis snapped, "Who the hell said _you_ could make that decision? I say we vote. When Sheena gets back, we decide if he lives or we send him on or what. I'm _not_ just going to follow you blindly! The last time we did that, we got _them,_ and you still haven't explained!"

Zelos sneered, "Brat, this was _my_ idea, not Bud's!"

"And you think I trust_ you?_ You've been on Lloyd's side from the beginning and you barely know him! Plus, you're a jackass, so I don't see why we should listen to your suggestions!"

All eyes were on Genis now, shocked and wide as the half-elf's face lit red with anger. His fists were, again, clenched at his sides and he was glaring from Lloyd to Zelos. Raine's hand gently rested on her brother's shoulder. "…Genis, that's enough. While I agree that we should take a vote, now is not the time to argue among ourselves…"

"That's just because you're going to be on his side! I _know_ you are! You_ always_ are! I don't see why you trust him, he hasn't told us the truth yet and I'm _sick of it!_ This is just one more thing that's going to threaten Colette and Presea and…and_ you._ What else do you want me to do! If no one else is putting their foot down, then I _will."_

Lloyd swallowed, his breath catching in his throat as he tried to take in Genis' words. This was yet more proof that his friend hated him…and Lloyd was beginning to wonder if there was any way to fix his relationship with his best friend. He somehow doubted that the truth would do it. Not this truth, not after all this time. "Genis," he whispered finally, "I'm sorry… when Sheena gets back, we'll have the vote and…please…I'll explain everything soon, but…I just need a few more days…"

Genis snorted, "Yeah right. Fine, whatever, let's…let's deal with Mizuho first."

This was already arranged for them as Orochi appeared from nowhere a moment later. "Vice-Chief Tiga will see you now."

Tiga's living quarters were small, like much of the rest of the village, but it was filled with_ stuff._ Everything from huge hand-painted masks to tea sets to what looked like a glowing sword was stored, stacked, and, in some cases, stuffed in the room. A large, open space had been cleared in the center of the room and Lloyd and the others, including Regal, settled themselves before Tiga. He was a small, pale man with messy black hair and a small goatee to match. His hair, eyes, and beard were all flecked with gray, and there were large bags under his eyes from overwork. Sheena sat just behind, her head tilted down and her hair covering her eyes.

"…so," Tiga began in soft tones, "Sheena tells me that you have intentions to help your friend and then… what? Beyond your immediate goals, what are you going to do with yourself? You have allies in the Renegades, and you seem to have found a following in Tethe'alla as well. But _why?_ What is it for?"

No one answered, for they all had different goals. Finally, Lloyd met Tiga's eyes and said quite seriously, "I want to say "Save the worlds." I want to say that it's doable and that there must be some way to help both Tethe'alla _and_ Sylvarant, but…right now, I don't know…" The room had gone silent; no one was even breathing.

The ninja eyed Lloyd, "But you clearly do not think you can say it; what is stopping you?"

"…we're having some issues right now," Lloyd said at last, and the sound of several sighs echoed around the room again. "Right now, I want to take one thing at a time and go see Altessa and try to help Colette and Presea. I don't know what'll happen from there." Because the future was all bent of whether or not Lloyd's friends believed him, or not, and helped him…or not.

"You are very bent on saving your friend, very loyal…" Tiga was disappointed. He had been hoping for more, Lloyd could see it in his eyes. He had been hoping for a hero to swoop in and rescue the worlds, and Lloyd had failed. It was obvious his group was falling apart, mutiny was clear in Genis' eyes, and they had no goal other than to help their friends. "I must regretfully inform you that I cannot afford to enter Mizuho into this war. It is yours to do with as you wish. You may stay the night, of course…"

Lloyd nodded, "Thank you… What about Sheena? If…if she wants to, she's welcome to continue traveling with us if you let her."

"…" Sheena didn't look up, "…as worried as I am about Colette and Presea, I know I have to stay with the Village…"

Tiga smiled slowly, "Sheena, officially, I cannot support this, however… If you wish to continue traveling with your friends, I cannot force you to remain. You are of age, I might remind you, and can choose what to do with yourself."

Sheena's brown eyes lit, "…I can stay with them? Really?" She finally looked up at the Vice-chief. "Thank you! Thank you Vice-chief!"

"Then you will leave in the morning. In the meantime, sleep well. I'll have food and rooms prepared."

…

Lloyd could hardly believe how badly his day had gone. Perhaps his only consolation was that Sheena_ wanted_ to stay with the group, but he sensed that it was not for his sake that she was there, but for Colette's.

"Let's get this over with," he called and all heads turned. "We vote whether to let Regal come with us or if we knock him out and drop him in the woods." Lloyd sighed. "All in favor of letting him come…?"

Lloyd and Zelos both put their hands up, followed by Noishe.

"Idiot, we're not allowed to vote," Mithos snapped. The protozoan's hand dropped.

With a jolt, Lloyd realized that the vote hung totally on Raine. Sheena was not going to be encouraged to bring Regal along, and Colette and Presea were in no shape to vote. All eyes were on her as Raine's own eyes closed, then, slowly, she raised her hand.

"WHAT?" Genis shrieked, "You're siding with Lloyd_ again?"_ The half-elf could see a loss on the horizon, and he was sorely bent against it. "What about Presea? Doesn't she get a vote?" A tie. Lloyd wasn't sure how to handle it, but he also couldn't deny Presea the option. "Presea, what do _you_ want to do with Regal?"

Presea blinked, her blue eyes vague, but slowly sharpening. "…no threat detected," she intoned quietly, "and group's chances of surviving the forest increase by 10%. Allowing him to join us would be the logical choice."

Genis could not have been more horrified.

"Aww, that's my ladies! Going and sticking up for their Zelos!" The Chosen threw and arm around Raine's shoulders. "I love you; you know that, right?"

Furious, red-faced, and having just been humiliated, Genis spun on his heel and stormed away from the group.

…

Several hours later, the group was asleep, and Zelos plopped himself down next to Lloyd. They were playing Regal's "guard" for the first part of the evening, though the prisoner was as deeply asleep as the rest.

"…Zelos, can I ask you something?" Lloyd asked slowly.

The Chosen looked side-long at him, "Sure, don't see why not." He shrugged and slouched against the wall they had their backs against. "Shoot, bud."

"Why are you on my side? I'm making weird decisions that no one else trusts, I'm keeping secrets, but you're still on my side. You're suggesting all the things I agree with and you're…actually defending me. Why?" Since the Chosen had brushed away Gens' suggestion of Lloyd working for Cruxis, Lloyd had begun to wonder _why_ the Chosen was helping him. "And don't give me any of your shit."

For once, the Chosen looked impressed. "…maybe I just like your taste. Or maybe I think you've got good reason for what you do. Or maybe I've got insider information. Can't you just be happy you've got someone on your side?"

Lloyd shook his head, "I'll believe insider information, but those first two are just stupid."

"Won't deny it. Fine, Bud, I _do_ trust you. I don't think your friends Mimi and Noshy are dangerous…to us, and I've seen Regal before. He's a noble; we met when I was a kid and he wasn't a bad guy. He was put in prison 'cause he killed his girlfriend, but there were a _lot_ of crazy rumors going around after that, and I heard… I heard she had an exsphere that went bad and she went all crazy and he _had_ to kill her. He's not a bad guy, that I know.

"And as for trusting you…I saw the way you ran after Raine and Genis even after they lied to you. Anyone who's that good a friend isn't a complete bastard. You don't want to hurt them, or Colette, that's obvious. The brat's just too jaded to see it. Especially what with his sister and his girlfriend both being on your side and all." Zelos laughed. "You're too good a guy to be a bad guy, Bud."

Lloyd couldn't help but smile. It felt almost like old times, when he and Zelos had spent hours together joking around. Lloyd was the friend Zelos needed and Zelos was the relief Lloyd needed from being the "hero." For the first time in weeks, something felt_ right._

"Zelos…thanks… I won't let you down, I promise."

…

The forest was dark and quiet the next morning, but that was the way the group liked it. They were taking some of Mizuho's less-used paths; far from where the Papal Knights had almost caught them the evening before. Regal was walking willingly in the middle of the group while Raine and Sheena had dropped to the back of the group with Colette and Presea and Genis, Zelos, and Lloyd carefully guarded Regal. Mithos and Noishe were far off to the side, talking quietly.

"Ozette's just a little further on," Sheena called, "these paths are more direct than the others, so it's just a few more minutes."

The ninja was right; within the next ten minutes, the first tree house-like home appeared above them. The next was just a little ways beyond. The houses looked to be in disrepair, and Lloyd suspected that these were the homes of half-elves. Lloyd wondered if he were leading his friends into a trap; there was always the chance that the Papal Knights had gotten to Ozette first, or that with Kratos, Yuan, and Mithos having left the battle on Derris-Kharlan, Kvar had won and his Desians had set up an ambush. All the same, they trekked on and soon found themselves joining the main path, which was lit by lanterns even at midmorning.

Presea's eyes lit as they moved further into the village, "I…must go…" She started to run off, but Lloyd caught her arm.

"How about you go _after_ we've seen Altessa?" He held her gently so as not to give Genis any reason to become angry. "Go walk with Genis, we'll get you home soon, kay?"

"But…I have to take care of my Daddy…" Her voice was hollow, only the faintest echoes of emotion playing behind her intonations.

Lloyd sighed, "I'm sure he's alright on his own. You need Altessa's help, so come on. We'll take you to your Dad afterward, okay?"

"…I must also return to work…"

"Please, Presea? Let us help you." Raine stepped forward and took her hand. "We've come all this way to help you…"

There was a strange conflict behind Presea's eyes as the logical part of her argued with both her pre-programmed personality and Presea's natural personality for dominance. "I…" she took a breath, "I…shall come with you…but then I must return…"

Raine nodded encouragement and pulled the girl gently back to continue walking with her and Genis. For once, the young half-elf looked almost pleased as he very tentatively took Presea's other hand. The rest of their short walk through was uninterrupted, though the citizens backed away and doors closed around them. It was obvious that whatever happened at Altessa's, they would not be returning through the village.

The forest ended as they left Ozette, and for the first time in several hours, Lloyd felt the sun dance against his face and he took a breath of fresh, billowing air. It was another hour's walk to Altessa's, but Lloyd felt the tension leave his shoulders as the warm air blew around and the sun sat where it was supposed to be in the cloudless blue sky.

Altessa's home was largely underground as, like most of his dwarven brethren, he preferred the darkness of caves, unlike humans and half-elves. It was built into the limestone cliffs that surrounded the Tower of Salvation in the heart of Tethe'alla. Already, however, Lloyd could tell something was wrong and, a moment later, Yggdrasill burst out of the front door and froze when he saw the group.

Lloyd swore.

…

_I'm being serenaded by two sirens. And by sirens, I mean bitches. Dear goodness, my ears will be ringing all night. This is what I get for not being capable of producing an in-key note. So, Merry Christmas from my caroling betas. _

_Please check out my poll!_

_R&R_

_~Yoshi_


	36. Chapter 36

_Sorry for the week-late update, but finals took precedence over writing, unfortunately. And, as I figured would happen, I made some changes to my layout of the end of the story (I freaking need to write this shit down) and now have no idea how many chapters it will take to end the story! I'm thinking somewhere inside ten, still, but who knows anymore? _

_In writing this, things didn't go exactly as planned…once again, I blame how obstinate the group can get. They're really pissed at Lloyd and I could try to shove them through the door, but…well, that just wouldn't be good writing, now would it? Anyway, enjoy the chapter, despite the fact that it isn't what it was supposed to be…and you can all blame Raine. Stupid Raine._

…

Yggdrasill froze when he saw the group standing in the near-darkness outside of Altessa's home. He seemed as shocked at their being there as they were at his. He swore loudly, automatically pulling his swords out of their sheaths at his side and dropping into a defensive stance. Moments later, the rest of his friends did the same and Yggdrasill scoffed.

"Well, well, how pathetic! I destroyed you once; I hardly think it will be much of a chore to do it a second time…"

Lloyd mentally berated himself: if he hadn't jumped into action, the others wouldn't have either. Now, though, Yggdrasill was ready to jump to his throat and he couldn't very well put his swords away. He blinked, trying to figure a way out of this disaster, when Mithos did it for him.

The blond boy stepped between Yggdrasill and the group, his blue eyes narrowed. "Enough. Fighting defeats our purpose here." He glared sidelong at…himself. Yggdrasill's eyes went wide and he stumbled backward.

"W-what the _hell!_ What kind of trick is this?" He turned his rage on Lloyd who shrugged hopelessly and put his swords down, though not away.

He half-smiled, "Actually, that was pretty much my reaction too…"

"Shut up, _both_ of you!" Mithos hissed. "Let's take this inside, now."

Wordlessly, still eyeing Mithos, Yggdrasill slowly turned to go inside. For once, he could see that the situation was far out of his control and he was shocked enough to allow it to be so. Lloyd and Noishe followed behind the two, but Lloyd stopped at the door, realizing that his friends had not moved.

"…guys?" He blinked and turned back his friends. "Come on; this is where we need to be…"

Genis gaped. "You—…you seriously think we're going to follow you in there? Lloyd, that's_ Yggdrasill._ This whole place is probably an ambush! What the hell? I thought you said we could trust you, Lloyd! All this time you really_ have_ been tricking us! You led us into a trap! Mithos and Noishe—they're in on it too! How_ could_ _you?_ I thought you cared about Colette! I thought you were our _friend!_ I guess freaking not!"

Lloyd felt as though he'd been punched in the stomach. For a very long moment, he could not breathe; his mouth opened and closed soundlessly as he tried to make sense of everything. They had made it _so far,_ only to have everything destroyed at the last minute? No…no! He had to explain! Everything was going to come out—_everything hinged on this moment!_ He couldn't lose now. He couldn't.

"Guys…yeah, I called them here, but I didn't do it to hurt you. Only Yuan knew we were coming, and they're here because they can help us. I'll explain everything, but I need a little more time…just enough time to fix Colette and Presea's crests."

For several moments, no one said anything; finally, Raine spoke. "…how dare you, Lloyd? We've given you all the time you've asked for, and then with it you've walked us into the enemy's nest, and you ask for_ more time!_ You go inside; you talk to them, but don't expect us to follow. Whatever you may believe, they will not hesitate to kill you, Lloyd. I will not let my friends die because we walked into this trap."

Shattered. Lloyd felt as though he had broken into a thousand pieces: Raine had been on his side through all…and now she was gone. He was choking again, but this time it was far worse. Lloyd leaned back, against the door frame and watched the world spin wildly. His friends were walking away; they didn't trust him and they never would again.

"What the hell is going on out here?" Yuan walked past Lloyd, and leaned against the wall just outside. "…you didn't tell them, eh?" It was clear the half-elf had been expecting a little more cooperation from the group. "Ingenious—son of a bitch!"

Lloyd felt it too, and he and Yuan rounded to the west. Only a moment later, an explosion shook the ground. Light plummeted from the sky, a pillar of blinding whiteness that seared itself into Lloyd's eyes and caused the group to shout. For a moment, he thought that Ozette had been destroyed, only to realize that Mithos—_both_ of him—were here, with Lloyd. There was no reason for Ozette to have been destroyed, and it was too soon…

Another explosion brought Lloyd stumbling to his knees. It wasn't Ozette, it was too far west…but the only other village was—no… NO!

Sheena realized it the same moment Lloyd did, and she screamed. There were no intelligible words, just shock and pain. A third shockwave sent those who had tried to stand back to the ground. The holy light that had torn through the night sky dissipated, leaving Lloyd blind and stumbling. Sheena was still screaming.

Rough hands helped Lloyd to his feet and Yuan hoisted him up against the doorframe. As his vision cleared, Lloyd saw Zelos fight to hold onto Sheena, who was still screaming in agony and fighting against him. "Sheena! Sheena, stop it! There's nothing you can do—stop!"

"_Grandpa!"_ Her flailing hand caught Zelos' face, dragging her nails sharply over his eye and the Chosen let go as the ninja raced back the way she had come, back toward her destroyed village. Lloyd didn't have time to register that he was following her, but he was. He could see the pink tassels of her obi disappear through the growing crowds of Ozette and Lloyd sped to catch up with her. As they left Ozette, he became aware that there were others running alongside him.

He heard the soft pants of Zelos, the light footsteps of Raine, Yuan's snapping cape; his friends were coming for the ride.

It was not until he saw the carnage that he had pictured what he was running towards—his only thought was to catch up to Sheena. Once he stood among it, the tears began to drip down his cheeks. Mizuho had been leveled. The few structures that remained upright were charred so that they were unrecognizable. This wasn't Palmacosta; there were no bodies left to bloody the place, only charred remains. It had been a clean, instant death. Like Palmacosta, though, this was an unprovoked attack.

"…he's taken Derris-Kharlan."

Lloyd rounded on Yuan, "W-what? How do you know?"

The half-elf closed his eyes, "Only the Derris-Kharlan systems could have created an attack that powerful. It takes mana directly from the core of the comet and—…well, you've seen the results."

"Who the hell_ cares_ how it happened!" Zelos roared. "We lost Sheena!"

Zelos was right; the ninja had disappeared into the blackened village, but her footprints through the ash were easy enough to follow. They waded deeper into Mizuho, and the further in they reached, the more often an unidentifiable bone stuck up from the ash, or a skull lay mournfully on its side, watching them. There were no survivors; it had been too quick. Vaguely, Lloyd wondered who had been outside of the village when the attack had hit. Surely some of the ninjas had been sitting within the Renegades or off spying on the aristocracy; Sheena couldn't be the only one left.

"You! You_ bastard!"_ Sheena's voice echoed through the air and the group sped up.

"Now, now, precious, remember what happened last time we met…" Lloyd's heart froze when he heard Kvar's voice. Yuan had been right: the Desian had taken Derris-Kharlan. And now he was here. There was appreciative laughter and Sheena shrieked again. "Darling, _do_ relax. I'd really rather not hurt you anymore."

"How could you? All those people! You just—just_ destroyed_ them! My family! I'll_ kill you!"_

They rounded a corner to find Kvar skillfully managing to hold Sheena back while she flailed at him, trying desperately to reach him. Kvar had brought friends, and four other Desians stood around them, watching and laughing when Sheena failed to reach her target. The Desians looked up when Lloyd, Yuan, Raine, and Zelos found them.

"Oh, hello!" Kvar smiled earnestly at them. "I see you _did_ get to watch my little show! I'm so glad, I had you in mind specifically when I put it together. It's lovely to see you again; I apologize for not spending more time with you lately, but I've been busy what with the war! You know how all-consuming these things could be. But it's_ over now,_ yes Lord Yuan? I'll have more quality time to spend with my darling Lloyd! It really has been too long, hasn't it?"

Lloyd gathered himself in a breath and focused, making his eyes stop darting around to the unfamiliar faces of the Desians around Kvar or the blackened scene around him and stay on Kvar. "…let her go. You've done enough damage here. Just let her go, Kvar." To his credit, Lloyd's voice wasn't shaking.

Kvar chuckled, "Oh Lloyd, do you really still think that we are at the same place we were in Iselia? I've won, child, and you have lost. All your work, all these losses, and for what? Every time we've met, you've only made it out alive because I've allowed it. I couldn't bear to see you lose so soon when you'd gone to all the trouble to follow me back here! It was just so _cute,_ that determination. Reminds me of your mother, really. How could I kill that a second time? I should have known better; admittedly, you've been more of a thorn in my side than I expected. That's mostly due to your alerting Lord Yuan of my plans ahead of time. Still, I managed just fine I'd say."

Sheena was still struggling to get to Kvar's throat, and he was still holding her back. None of the group dared get close enough to stop her, and Lloyd suspected that even if they did, they would have been taken down by Kvar's cronies.

Suddenly, the ninja went limp and, for once caught off guard, Kvar stumbled forward and gave Sheena the opening she needed to shove him to the ground. Her fists rained down upon any inch of him that she could catch, and he was struggling to do the same. His guards moved to pull her off of him, but Zelos was faster, and he caught the first guard in the nose with the hilt of his sword, then swung in a graceful arch, slitting the man's throat.

Lloyd and Yuan were right behind him, Yuan taking down the second man with a well-placed lightning bolt to the throat. Lloyd sliced his blade across one man's chest and stabbed the other through the stomach, both falling without incident.

Kvar kicked Sheena in the stomach, sending the ninja flying backward and into the still-standing but heavily charred wall of some building. She tumbled into the ashes and didn't get up.

"No!" Lloyd shouted, rounding on Kvar and slashing at him as he tried to rise. He was forced to duck a bolt of lightning, but as he fell back, Zelos took up the attack. Kvar actually had to block Zelos' first swings, but soon it was Zelos' turn to fall back and let Yuan take over the fight. Lloyd took a moment to glance over his shoulder and, to his relief, see Raine trying to help Sheena up. Both women were covered in the ashy remains of Mizuho.

Yuan was doing better than either of the other men had; he was absorbing lightning almost constantly, but his own tendency toward the lightning eased the pain of the strikes. He had his swallow and was twirling it ruthlessly, putting all of his strength behind his attacks. Kvar was good at avoiding the attacks, of dodging out of the way at the last second, costing Yuan energy as he pulled back at the last possible moment. It was only a lucky shot—a_ very_ lucky shot—that sent Yuan stumbling backward.

It was Lloyd's turn to attack again, but Zelos was upon the Desian in seconds, and knocked back just as fast as another bolt of lightning slammed into his chest, sending the Chosen stumbling back over Yuan. Lloyd moved in and landed a heavy hit on Kvar's shoulder, making the man scream in agony. He dodged the lightning that was meant for his head and found himself standing at Kvar's other shoulder. The perfect opening presented itself: Kvar had left his side unprotected; it was so easy that Lloyd was coming out of his defensive stance and swinging to stab Kvar in the side.

He could see his sword plunging through skin, sliding between ribs, penetrating lung and heart before it happened. It would never happen. In the few seconds it took for Lloyd to break his stance and lunge foreword, Kvar slipped out of the way as a massive bolt of lightning struck where Lloyd should have been standing.

But he wasn't standing there. He was stumbling to the ground several feet away. Sheena was standing where he should have been, her form tiny in the blue and yellow and purple streaks of lightning. Her scream of warning, riddled with pain and anger and loss echoed into the night. When the lightning faded, the ninja was a dark corpse among the ashes of her home.

Lloyd was frozen. Everything was frozen: the world had stopped. He couldn't breathe; he couldn't hear; he could only stand there and stare at his friend's corpse. She was dead. Sheena was dead. And she had no idea what she had died for. It was his fault. She was dead because he had been stupid, she was dead because he'd insisted that it would be too painful to explain what was happening twice and he'd called the Seraphim away from their war and let Kvar win Derris-Kharlan.

Sheena was_ dead._

There was nothing worse. _Dead…_ How could he have let this happen? What had he done! Why hadn't he stopped it! He was crying freely, the tears falling over his cheeks as he dropped to his knees. She couldn't be dead. She just couldn't. This couldn't have happened. _It was his fault._

"…get out." Yuan's voice hissed through Lloyd's senses like cold water on hot coals.

Kvar's sneered response was weak with breathlessness. "Oh? Has the great War Hero Yuan Kafei gotten sick of the killing?"

Yuan snorted, "You don't deserve to desecrate this place. Get out or you will meet a fate worse than death." More lightning crackled around them, but this time it was Yuan's threat and Lloyd heard the slow stumbling of Kvar dragging himself through the ashes of Mizuho. When he was level with Lloyd, he stopped.

"You may think what you're doing is right," he whispered, knowing well that Lloyd could hear him, "but consider what is on the line: you cannot do this. You care too much. Run away while you can, little boy. Save yourself."

When the monster was gone, Lloyd dropped back into his grief.

In what simultaneously seemed like seconds and forever, the four were back at Altessa's, Sheena's body in tow. The rest of the group was still waiting outside and the remaining Seraphim were standing in front of the door. Lloyd could see Altessa just inside his door.

"Lloyd!" It was Kratos who got to him first, and without thought, Lloyd hugged his father. In that moment, it didn't matter that Kratos hesitated to return to hug, nor did he care that this was perhaps the most incriminating thing Lloyd could have done. He felt as though his sanity was cracking at its edges.

"What happened? Is that—? S-Sheena?" Genis gasped as he stared at the corpse in Zelos' arms. "What the hell happened?"

Raine pulled Genis into a hug, "…it was Kvar. He destroyed the village and he was waiting for us in Mizuho… Sheena…died to save Lloyd."

"He's taken Derris-Kharlan," Yuan said tersely, turning to Yggdrasill. "We've lost the city and our army."

Yggdrasill glared at Lloyd as he and his father broke their hug, "This is what I said would happen if we left Welgaia in the hands of the soulless. Now we've lost! What the _hell_ was this all about, Yuan?"

Yuan smirked coldly, "It was Lloyd's idea. He seems to think that it is time to tell you the truth, and he wanted to do it all at once. What I want to know, though, is why there are two of Mithos and…_who_ is this other man?"

"I'm Noishe!" The protozoan grinned wolfishly at Yuan. "And you're an asshole. You've got _no idea_ how long I've wanted to say that!"

"Noishe, this is not the time," Mithos hissed. "We're from the future—an alternate future—where Kvar has taken control."

Absolute silence. Lloyd didn't care anymore. He needed to work; he needed to use his hands and distract himself. This was too much. Too baffling. He couldn't think.

"Colette, Presea," his voice was rough as it echoed into the silent night, "come on. Let's fix your crystals." He sounded as soulless as the two girls. They were the only ones unfazed by Mithos' pronouncement and they followed Lloyd into Altessa's house. Inside, even the Dwarf looked shocked, his eyes flickering from the Seraphim outside to Lloyd to Presea. "Can I use your tools? I need to fix their key crests. Shouldn't take me too long."

The dwarf nodded, clearly afraid to deny Lloyd anything at this point.

Quickly, Lloyd began fixing Colette's key crest. It was easy; he had made the runes on the necklace purposefully too light, or incomplete. Easy fixes that he could gently fix. He had even added a few runes that would stop the crystallization process. After spending a year searching for the world's exspheres, Lloyd had spent months studying dwarven lore and all the information Yuan could provide him about crests and Cruxis Crystals in order to create a safer, more effective crest. He wasn't about to let that knowledge go to waste now.

He finished Colette's in a few minutes. The others were still outside arguing. Every so often Lloyd heard a shout, largely from Yggdrasill or Genis, as it slowly came out that Mithos and Yggdrasill were the same person. Mithos, Noishe, and Yuan were taking the brunt of the questions, and though they directed the majority of their questions to Lloyd, no one approached him.

"So Lloyd really_ did_ betray us!" Genis finally shouted. "He's been lying all along he's—he knew that you were Yggdrasill and he knew that you were from the future and he lied! How _could he?_ Why would he do all this shit! I thought we were his _friends."_

Mithos snorted, "You _are,_ Genis." If Lloyd had been paying attention, he would have detected the hint of pain in the half-elf's words. "If you'd shut up, Lloyd will_ explain._ I can't. I don't understand his situation as well as he does. Noishe and I are from an alternate future. I don't understand it."

Lloyd began Presea's key crest. Hers was more difficult as he had to bind both the old crest and the additions or completely start over—as he lacked the materials to begin again, he had to very carefully meld pieces of the alloy to her old crest without burning her pale skin. He had only ever done this two other times, and in both cases, the crest had been far less complex. Lloyd had managed to attach all of the pieces and was beginning to sand them down and smooth out the bumps from the welding process when the group finally came inside.

By then, it was nearly dawn and half the group was almost asleep.

"Dwarf," Yggdrasill commanded, "make them coffee; I refuse to wait for them to be well-rested to hear this story." He glared down at Lloyd. "And I will hear it_ now."_

Lloyd didn't look up from his sanding. "Don't bother with the coffee. I need to finish this; it could be another hour. Let them sleep and we'll talk later."

"Did you not hear me, boy?" Yggdrasill roared. "I will hear this_ now."_

When Lloyd looked up, his bloodshot red eyes silenced the leader of Cruxis. "You'll hear it when everyone else freaking does. So shut up, Mithos."

Yggdrasill was furious, and he opened his mouth to scream at Lloyd, only to be silenced by himself. "Let them be mortal. Another hour won't kill us." Mithos looked up at his taller counterpart, his eyes harder and colder and eons more mature. "Besides, he needs to finish the crests, and I need to get my thoughts in order."

There was no argument. Genis was already asleep in his sister's arms, and Regal helped her carry the child into the other room. Zelos was directed to put Sheena's body in another side room; when he came out, he followed the others to bed. Mithos and Yuan settled heavily down at Altessa's table and watched the others mull about the room. Yggdrasill stood at the window, looking out at the changing colors of the sky, and Kratos and Noishe wandered down to the little forge where Lloyd was beginning to painstakingly carve runes into Presea's key crest.

"…" Although he was painfully aware of the protozoan's hovering, it was clear that Kratos had a question. "…why didn't you tell me?" He almost sounded hurt.

Without letting himself become too distracted from his work, Lloyd said slowly, "…you wouldn't have understood at the beginning of everything…" Too late, Lloyd realized that he had no idea how much Kratos knew. He didn't know how much any of them knew. "What did they tell you?"

"…that you, like Mithos and…Noishe…" he glanced over his shoulder at the green haired man, "you are also from the future. Albeit a different future."

Lloyd tried not to choke and destroy the rune he was carving into Presea's crest at Kratos' words. He regained his composure and repeated softly, "…I didn't think you'd understand."

His father looked away. "And why was that?"

"…because…because I walked into this knowing that I couldn't change the past. Everything would get screwed up…even if I wanted to save people, I couldn't change the way stuff happened. I couldn't stop Luin from being destroyed, or Iselia, or Marble from dying, or…any of it…" Of all the times for tears to well in his eyes, why did it have to be while he was trying to focus?

Kratos was watching Lloyd with dark eyes, but outwardly, he only sighed. "…I simply wish you had trusted me."

Lloyd jerked, pulling back just in time not to break the crest. "W-what?" He blinked. Not trusting his father…it had never occurred to him. "Dad, it's not that… I just know you. You wish you could do over your mistakes, and if you got a chance like this, are you telling me that you wouldn't risk everything to undo them? That's why I couldn't tell you. I couldn't let everything go to hell because we had to save everyone."

Something between rage and sadness flickered in Kratos' eyes. "…and you've clearly proven that you would not."

"I'm only sticking to the timeline because I was told to! Yuan and Raine couldn't stop going on about it before I left! _No matter what, don't change the past!_ I found out what happens when you change the past! Your future_ dies._ The future that I come from is gone because I changed the littlest things! Mithos and Noishe have their shitty future because Kvar changed things! Everything went to hell because things_ changed!"_

"They changed for the worse," Kratos hissed. "Imagine if they had changed for the better."

Both men were on their feet now. Lloyd's hands were clenched at his sides, his tools discarded. Kratos had rounded on his son, his eyes blazing. "Oh, you think I didn't try to change things for the better! How about how I've been Zelos' _friend,_ instead of antagonizing him? Or where I didn't kill Renegades, or where we actually started _talking?_ I changed little things, I couldn't help that, but I couldn't mess with the big stuff! I just couldn't!"

Kratos didn't speak, only glared, and Lloyd returned the look with almost as much venom. He didn't deserve this now. It was too much to ask him to carry his father's anger in addition to everything else that was happening to him.

"…_Gods_ you two look alike!" Noishe finally broke the silence. "It's actually a little bit freaky…" His tactlessness made Lloyd sigh, but the glaring broke apart as Kratos shook his head. "Look, Krattie, Lloydie, you gotta chill out. We're all on edge and life sucks, but you're_ family;_ so play nice, kay?" He pulled the two into a hug. "We all love each other here."

Lloyd couldn't help but laugh, albeit bitterly, "You're never not going to be a dog, are you Noshy?"

"Don't plan on it, nope!"

Shaking his head, Kratos bowed out of Noishe's hug and retreated out of Lloyd's workspace. The boy slumped back onto his seat and grabbed his tools. His mind was reeling. Could he pick a fight with anyone_ else?_ Lloyd's fingers moved automatically; they skillfully hammered the seals and runes into the metal that sat on Presea's throat. It was a long process, but being productive felt absolutely wonderful. And he had all the time in the world to think.

The group knew. Lloyd had never felt as though his head were more a tangle. Like a bowl of spaghetti; nothing was straightforward. Without realizing it, tears had begun to sting Lloyd's eyes, and as he tried to blink them back, they began to fall with a force that was far out of his control.

Sheena was dead. Marble, Cocoa and Chocolat were dead. Pronyma was dead. Mizuho was gone, destroyed; dead. And it was all his fault. These people had died because Lloyd had made the wrong decisions. They had died because he had thought he could handle this threat on his own when he could do no such thing. Worst of all, they had died without knowing why they had been murdered. Dead. All of them dead. Friends, enemies, nameless faces that he would now never know.

All his fault.

He was crying in earnest now and he had to put his tools aside for fear of hurting Presea. He buried his face in his hands, trying to muffle his sob. It echoed around the now-silent room as he gasped for breath and control of his emotions. Lloyd sobbed again. What was he going to do? There was nothing to do. Kvar had taken Derris-Kharlan, and with it all of Cruxis' technology. They wouldn't stand a chance. Hell, they wouldn't stand a chance if they ran. Mithos and Noishe's future was going to come true. It wasn't just an alternate future, it was_ the_ future.

All his fault.

"…so much for our all-knowing leader," Mithos snorted with undisguised scorn. "I blame you, Aurion. You just_ had_ to go a find personal insult—and now look at him! Pathetic. Well, I for one have no intention of handing myself over on a silver platter a second time. Child, stop your damned blubbering, or so help me—!"

Mithos' attempt at a pep-talk didn't help. At all. Lloyd sobbed again, furiously wishing that someone else had gone back in his place, or that they'd listened to Origin in the first place and never undergone this stupidity in the first place. Lloyd felt so stupid. He was sick of himself. He was tired.

Tiny hands wrapped around his middle and Lloyd felt Presea's soft breath on his ear. When he looked at her eyes, they were still empty. No real emotion moved behind her eyes, but something must have registered for her to act like this. Or perhaps her emotional perception had been increased because of her half-finished crest.

"It will be alright, Lloyd." There was nothing earnest in the way her flat monotone formed the words, but there was a bizarre amount of comfort in it nonetheless. Sloppily, Lloyd wiped the tears out of his eyes and Presea let go as soon as he moved.

He nodded, "…let's finish your crest."

He doubted that anything would be alright, but that there was still someone on his side was…something.

Lloyd finished the crest. It was perfect, even Altessa thought so, and Lloyd sat Presea on the workbench so that when her personality returned, she wouldn't hurt herself. Turning his attention to Colette, Lloyd braced himself for whatever was going to come next. When Colette returned to herself, she would have at least a vague idea of what had happened while she was away. The Chosen of Sylvarant would either be understandingly on his side, or hard-pressed to ever speak to him again.

Carefully brushing Colette's long hair out of the way, Lloyd fastened the gold clip around her throat so that the pendant hung just below the bottom of the crest. He caught the pendant and carefully set the two metals so that they touched. The effect was instant: Colette's blue eyes widened, then focused for the first time in weeks.

She looked so utterly baffled that for a moment, Lloyd was afraid that she wouldn't remember what had transpired while she was gone. A moment later, however, her eyes welled with tears. "Oh Lloyd!" Her arms wrapped around his middle and she pulled herself to his chest. "I'm so, so, so sorry! I was so mean to you and all this time you were just trying to protect us! I'm so sorry!"

He hugged her back. This was familiar. This was good. He could almost pretend they were back in Iselia, and that he'd actually gotten up early and come into town and thrown rocks up at his best friend's window until she'd stuck her head out and they'd agreed to meet. He had known her as long as he could remember, and he finally had his friend back.

"S'okay, Colette. Everything'll be okay…" And just like back in the old days, they lied to each other. But there was comfort in lies; some genuine emotion in the falseness. "Everything'll…be okay…"

…

…_holy shit did I cry while writing this. No, seriously, I need to stop getting into Lloyd's head._

_Erm, anyway, Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanzaa, have a most wonderful Winter's Solstice, and enjoy whatever you celebrate! I would ideally like to have another chapter up by New Year's, but no guarantees on that one._

_R&R_

_~Yoshi_


	37. Chapter 37

_This chapter proved itself to be a bitch. I hate it when I have to write multiple versions in order to get something passable. Generally, it's these big, pivotal chapters that do it, though. It doesn't help that I've spent the past week cleaning and cooking for Christmas. At least I can walk through my room again, that's always nice. It also doesn't help that I've picked up Pokemon Soul Silver _and_ begun another college application. Life just doesn't ever slow down, does it?_

_Well, here goes nothing!_

…

"We'll start at the beginning," Mithos said simply. "The very beginning, with the Kharlan War. Kratos, Yuan, Martel, and I were born in the very last decades of the war, and are the reason it ended and the world was not destroyed by it." Despite how young he looked, Mithos was skilled at calmly stating the shocking—but more importantly, at holding their attention. The boy in white closed his eyes, remembering a very distant century. "That was four thousand years ago. As the war was ending, my sister, Martel Yggdrasill, was assassinated by some mad member of the Tethe'allan aristocracy."

The boy paced before the wide eyes of the Chosen's group. Behind them, the Seraphim were completely emotionless as the second Mithos gave an abbreviated version of their past. Noishe was nodding along with his friend. "In my grief, I bound Martel's soul to the seed of the Giant Kharlan Tree, which still exists on Derris-Kharlan, and split the world in two using the Eternal Sword." He was good at telling the story, and Lloyd wondered if all his life, Mithos had wanted an audience like this; one to hold in awe and gasp at the right moments as he told his tale. "Over the following centuries, civilization was rebuilt in the war-ridden and decimated worlds, but when it was rebuilt, it held the key to my power: the Church of Martel.

"People needed a savior in the centuries following the world's split, and they found one in my sister. She was the Sleeping Goddess, and in order to awaken her, Chosen with the correct mana signature were sent to my Tower. There, I would remove their souls and try to replace them with my sister. Soon, we even began breeding for the best signature. The world with a Chosen that completed the Journey was rewarded with the mana flowing from the other world. Unfortunately, none of the sacrifices were able to revive my sister.

Colette looked utterly mournful, but Zelos' face had twisted with absolute loathing. "So you used people," the Chosen of Tethe'alla spat.

Mithos chuckled bitterly, "Oh, shut up, Wilder. We're all still alive because we've used others to get here. Don't deny it. The people who sit in this room are among the living because others have taken falls in our place. At the very least you could live up to it." The angel blinked a moment; remembering where he had left off. "Hmm… Oh yes, Kratos and Yuan. I'm led to believe that Yuan started the Renegades around…oh, around two thousand years ago. He was the first to realize that we had utterly destroyed ourselves in the pursuit to bring Martel back to life. He was also my sister's fiancé. I'm rather fond of this irony."

The leader of the Renegades had gone pale and tried to back away from Yggdrasill, who had rounded on his friend, glaring. "What is this, Yuan? _You_ started that infernal army?"

Without further ado, Lloyd stepped between them. There was no longer any point in fearing Yggdrasill, and Lloyd was not about to see Yuan murdered. Not now. "That's done for the moment; Cruxis, the Renegades, the group, sides don't matter as long as Kvar's in control. Besides, we need Yuan." It was almost amusing, watching Yggdrasill back down, still glaring at one of his oldest friends.

"…I will never understand how she could love you," he whispered, sounding simultaneously furious and hurt.

"Perhaps," Yuan replied softly, "this is precisely the reason why."

Mithos snorted, "Or perhaps she felt sorry for you and you were good in bed. Whatever the reason, she's dead now so there's really no point in arguing!"

Suddenly, Lloyd was afraid: not of Yggdrasill, not of Mithos, but of what Kvar had done to convince Mithos that his sister was truly gone. Four thousand years, and even on his deathbed, Mithos had believed that his sister could still be saved. Now, that hope—the thing that had driven the man for four thousand years—was gone. He suspected that there were things Mithos had not told him, and would probably never tell anyone, about his time in Kvar's control.

"Kratos deserted around two decades ago; he ran off with dear Anna." Mithos' face was curiously blank as he sat heavily. "She was murdered by Kvar. Kratos had stolen her from his Ranch and the idiot swore revenge…"

Lloyd glanced at his father, who had hidden his face in his hands. "…you encouraged him," Lloyd said simply.

"My Seraph is Origin's seal, and my closest friend. I wanted him back. However…I regret to say that I did encourage Kvar to pursue them. It was easier than doing it myself."

Someone sighed and Lloyd turned to see Noishe shaking his head, "You handled that like shit, you know that, right? I'd say you owe them an apology, but you owe them way more."

Mithos' eyes glittered when he looked up at the protozoan, "I told him not to kill her! I _told_ him to bring all four of you to me alive! It shouldn't surprise you that he did no such thing. I doubt it helped that you put up such a good fight, but… Kratos… I…" He couldn't say it. Even after all this time, Lloyd knew that the words would never come out of Mithos' mouth. "I am sorry that Anna died. It is not your fault that she died, it is mine."

Finally, Kratos looked up. He wasn't crying; he had rid himself of every tear one could shed over a dead woman years ago. Kratos Aurion was empty, and he shook his head. "Mithos…"

"Thank you." Lloyd said it so firmly that Kratos flinched. "But I think blaming Kvar for Mom's death is pretty fair." Everyone was thinking, and all fell silent.

"…Lloyd?" Colette said softly, breaking the soundlessness. "Does that mean…does that mean that Kratos is your father?"

Lloyd nodded. "Yeah." He grinned stupidly, "Been holding that one in for awhile… I found out in Asgard…well, sort of…knew it before that… Yuan tried to threaten me to get Kratos to release the seal… In my timeline anyway. We were here, actually, staying with Altessa and Tabatha. Then Mithos…"

Mithos smirked, "That's when_ I_ discovered that Yuan was the leader of the Renegades. And that Kratos had been helping the group the entire time. Bastards."

"Helping us?" Raine asked softly, "How so? Why would he—no, perhaps that is the wrong question… What was he doing to help us without breaking his open loyalty to Cruxis?"

Pulling off his glove, Lloyd held out his right hand where he still wore the Ring of the Pact. "He was getting the stuff for this. It's the Ring of the Pact, and the only way I could use the Eternal Sword and reunite the worlds. The sword can only be used by people with some elf blood unless they have the Ring. Dad was getting everything ready so that we would have the power to reunite the worlds after he'd released the seal."

"Not that we let that go as planned!" Noishe smirked, "Like we were about to let him go and kill himself! Yuan swooped in at the last second as saved your ass, Krattie! And then _someone_ went and blew up the Tower of Salvation…" The protozoan scowled at Mithos. "Not your brightest move, dude."

"Why is it that every word that comes out of your mouth irritates me?

Raine cleared her throat loudly, "I think you've skipped over a few things, if you'd be willing to fill them in for us." She was trying very hard to be stern, but the exhaustion and misery in her face weakened the effect drastically.

"Yes… Well, after Anna's death, Lloyd was found by Dirk, etcetera, etcetera, you went on the Journey and my understanding is that with a few minor exceptions, everything went as it should have… I think Lloyd might have a different take, though, so perhaps we'll let him fill you in."

The room turned to Lloyd, and the angel felt his stomach churn. He was supposed to be the Regeneration Hero, the idealist, a famous speaker who could save the world with his silver tongue, but the truth was that Lloyd Irving-Aurion could only ever speak when the words invented themselves and spilled out between his lips. He could never explain anything or write speeches. They just happened. Now, everything hung in the balance, and Lloyd felt his tongue grow heavy.

He closed his eyes, his heart quickening, and every moment that had gone wrong flooded his mind. Watching Palmacosta burn, wandering through its streets, meeting Dorr, watching him die, Myrrh's appearance… and always, always, flashing back to Sheena. She had not been buried yet. They weren't sure how to; no one knew what was proper. They could have crafted her a casket and lain it in Mizuho, or they could try to construct a Mizuhoian funeral, but no one knew how. It seemed wrong to set her in the middle of her ruined village. Too forlorn. She could wait a few more days. They would make a decision soon, but not now.

"…Palmacosta," Lloyd croaked at last. "It wasn't—…it wasn't supposed to go like that…" He couldn't bear to say that it was destroyed another way. "And Myrrh…she died, and we destroyed the Ranch and saved the people…" He swallowed. Nothing was coming out right. His eyes stayed closed. "The Desians never teamed up like that… Kvar…he was supposed to be dead… And Sheena—" he choked on her name, "he never hurt her…"

Lloyd gasped as the tears returned, but he bit them back. "At the Tower of Salvation… the Renegades rescued us from Yggdrasill…not Kvar… This whole war thing…it wasn't supposed to happen." Angrily, Lloyd wiped the tears out of his eyes and finally blinked them open. "I was supposed to stop this. None of it was supposed to happen. That was the_ point."_

No one would have any sympathy for him. He knew that. He had screwed everything up. He had hurt people and people had _died _because Lloyd hadn't known what he was doing. All his fault. Everything was his fault.

What he didn't expect was to see real tears in his friend's eyes. Colette was sobbing and hugging Presea, who had small pearly tears dripping down her own cheeks. Regal's face was carefully wiped, or it would have been were tears not squeezing their way out of his eyes as well. Raine had buried her face in her lap, but she was still rubbing Genis' back as angry tears poured down the child's cheeks. Tears dripped down Zelos' nose and into his lap, but the Chosen did not look up.

Lloyd didn't understand why Zelos and Presea and Regal were crying. They hadn't been there. They hadn't known the horror and the pain. They hadn't known the people.

When Kratos finally spoke, his voice quavered slightly also, but he showed little more response than that. "Continue, Lloyd."

"I…w-well… I thought everything was going n-normally in Tethe'alla… But it was because Kvar was busy on Derris-Kharlan trying to b-beat you guys… I didn't know how strong he was, I didn't know that he could take the planet while you were gone. I'm so sorry…"

Yuan alone still seemed in control of himself. "Lloyd, what you fail to realize is that Kvar has an _army._ He has always been disgustingly charismatic, and he swayed thousands of Desians to his cause. He appealed to reality: Mithos never intended to bring about the Age of Half-Elves; he was merely going to destroy the worlds and all those in them when he brought back his sister. For once, he was selling the truth. An angel is no match against an impassioned soldier.

"It also helped that Kvar had managed to sway Pronyma enough that she passed on some of her more important codes to him before he killed her. Yggdrasill remained in denial long enough that when he finally tried to use the emergency defense systems, Kvar could worm his way in. As it was, we were the last defense. Granted, I too doubted that a Desian's power could overcome a city of angels, but whatever he did worked, clearly."

"Meaning what?" Yggdrasill hissed softly. He was not crying, but his temper was long gone. "What do we do now? How do we stop him?"

Lloyd shook his head, "I don't know… My plan was always to stop him when we got to the Asgard Ranch, but things got…complicated, and everything started getting out of hand…"

They lapsed into silence. It was finally Regal who spoke. "I have been with this party for only a handful of days, and am still considered a prisoner as far as my understanding goes, but if I may, I would like to add my thoughts." When no one spoke out against Regal sharing his opinion, he carried on. "I have seen the way this group fights, and I am not blind to the power that you three gentlemen have. If there is some sort of war between the Desians and Cruxis, then it is only logical that you must form a battle plan and retaliate. I doubt there are many other options at this point."

"I agree," Yuan said simply. "I have Renegades that would be more than willing to fight. We would not have to go in unprepared."

His heart pounding, Lloyd slowly began to wonder if the answer to his prayers was coming. The world would never be the same without Mizuho, Sheena, and the thousands of others whom had died at Kvar's hands, but Lloyd would be damned if he didn't fight to the damned end. Already he could see that he had both of Mithos, Noishe, Kratos, Yuan, and probably an army of Renegades on his side. He could probably even convince a few of his friends, though he wasn't sure he was willing to walk them into danger.

"I don't feel as though I know enough yet," Raine said loudly. "Lloyd, please continue explaining."

Lloyd was glad that he had managed to regain his composure while Yuan was explaining. He had brushed the water out of his eyes and swallowed, focusing. "…I'm doing a bad job of explaining everything from the beginning. Um, I come from about two-ish years after the worlds are—were—will be…anyway, after the worlds were reunited. That's…I think about six to nine months from now, but I could be off a little bit. Um… I reunited the worlds with the Eternal Sword; we got the Great Seed to germinate and then there was a whole bunch of months where we had to get the world functioning now that Sylvarant and Tethe'alla could see each other again…

"Yuan takes over watching the Tree and the Renegades are downsized and everyone's working more independently. Raine's studying the ruins of the world, Genis is going to school in Palmacosta, working toward getting into one of the better colleges in Sybak. Colette and Zelos are trying to get the Church to stop being a giant bitch, Presea's rebuilding Ozette…which should have been destroyed in Mizuho's place… Sheena was supposed to become the chief, and Mizuho was getting ready to move into Sylvarant… Regal's the president of a huge corporation…" Lloyd knew there were a few conspicuous holes in his explanation, but he pushed on.

"Origin, the Summon Spirit, found Yuan and I and told us that a foreign object was using the time stream. That's really, really not good even in the best situations so we did some monitoring and sent Origin running around and figured out that it was Kvar. I thought it was Kvar come back from the dead, but Mithos thinks he just never died… Anyway, we had no idea what to do or the kind of threat he would present, so I decided that I'd go back in time and try to stop him."

He paused, out of breath. The memories of his time, his friends, and the future that wouldn't ever be were flooding back. He missed the sarcastic arguments with Yuan, most of which ended in Yuan outsmarting him and Lloyd calling him a whore before stomping off to bed. He missed late nights talking with Raine and swapping stories about their travels. He missed sneaking into the Palmacosta Academy and breaking Genis out for a few hours to swim in the ocean. He missed staying up into the earliest hours of the morning and sleeping in late to wake up to breakfast with Zelos. He missed his life.

"…Origin," he began again, "didn't want me to go back in time. He thought that I would just screw stuff up worse…and to be fair, I totally did. Still, I didn't have a whole lot of choice. Raine and Yuan helped me figure out how to get the Eternal Sword to do what I wanted it to, and how to get to the time I wanted and how to make it so there weren't two of me running around and all the technical stuff. The thing that everyone kept telling me over and over and over was that I had to get rid of Kvar but still keep time as close as it possibly could be otherwise it creates a paradox…whatever the hell that is."

Mithos' eyes lit. "A paradox? Really… Now that you mention it, it brings up a few interesting questions…"

Lloyd blinked. He had absolutely no idea what a paradox was, but from the way Mithos was muttering to himself, it was both important and not something he was going to elaborate on at the moment.

"That's…that's pretty much it…" Lloyd concluded lamely. Everything's gotten really complicated, especially since Mithos and Noishe got here and…I think it's their turn to explain…"

Lloyd sat back, letting Noishe and Mithos tell a shortened version of their story. The only time Lloyd interjected was when Mithos began to say what their fates had been. No one needed to hear how they would die. It was too cruel.

It was over. Lloyd had told his story, Mithos and Noishe had told theirs, and now the decision was in the group's hands. They were silent for several long moments, no one wanting to break away from their thoughts long enough to express them.

"…let's have some lunch," Colette said at last. "I can eat now and I'm really hungry…"

The first good news of the day seemed to inject some life into the group. They broke up, muttering softly to themselves and wandering over to Altessa's table, where Tabatha had set out more than enough food for the group. Lloyd just watched them go, knowing that he wasn't welcome at their table, and standing back, he saw Zelos break away from the group and walk outside.

Worried and curious, Lloyd followed the Chosen outside.

"Zelos? …you okay?" It was so peaceful, it almost seemed impossible that less than a day had passed since the tragedy.

The red-headed Chosen was standing with his back to Lloyd, looking out toward the ocean. "…yeah…not really." He had regained his spunk, and his voiced dripped with ironic sarcasm again, but Lloyd was sure that his periwinkle eyes would be just as empty as ever.

Lloyd sighed and shook his head, "I'm sorry, Zelos… If I hadn't been stupid enough to try to stick to the timeline, Sheena wouldn't have—"

"S'not your fault," the elder man interrupted.

"Yes it is! She died because I was too afraid to tell you what was really going on! I should have trusted you. If I had, she would have known better… Zelos…whatever you might think…it wasn't _your_ fault."

Zelos chuckled bitterly, "Don't you think I know that? Sheena's death wasn't anybody's fault but Kvar's. That bastard is the one who cast the spell and the one who destroyed Mizuho. The only one who has any blame in all this shit is him."

"…no offence, but you're wrong. It really way my—"

"Shut the hell up, Bud. Yeah, sure, at first, I blamed myself, hell, I blamed_ you,_ but then I realized something. She was as good as dead the second Mizuho was gone. You, me, Raine, there's nothing we could have done. Hell, she might be better off dead. Everyone she grew up with, everyone she loved, her family, all dead. I know what it's like to be alone in the world, and she wasn't cut out to be lost like that. She'd have blamed herself."

It didn't matter that Zelos' words had the sting of truth behind them, something in Lloyd's blood was boiling. "…you can't seriously say that you think her dying like that was a _good_ thing! She was our friend! She had just lost her village! Kvar destroyed her face, you really think that dying by his hand is what she would have wanted?"

"Did I say that? Lloyd, Sheena wasn't in her right mind, and honestly, I don't think she ever would have been again. Thwarting the bastard who destroyed her home and her face, saving one of her best friends, helping your resistance to continue: she would have thought that was a worthy way to go out. The honorable way to die."

"How can you talk like that? How the hell can you go on like she'd be _proud? _She should be here, fighting with us!"

Zelos snorted, "You really gonna scorn her sacrifice like that? I figured you of all people would understand this shit. You want to mourn her like she would have wanted? Don't let her death be pointless. Get out there and kick Kvar's pale ass and fix time! Isn't that what you're here to do? You let something like us dying stop you, then Kvar's already won." Finally, Zelos rounded on Lloyd, and his eyes weren't hollow, but bright and angry.

"B-but…Mizuho, Palmacosta, Sheena…none of them should have died like that… I should have been able to stop it!"

"You may be an angel, but you can't be everywhere at once saving everybody." Zelos snorted. "That's stupid even for you. You were doing what you thought would save the world, and there's nothing else anyone can ask you to do—and if they do, they're idiots."

A slap in the face. It wasn't his fault. He was still only one man; those people shouldn't have died, but it wasn't his actions that had caused it. He was fighting a madman: unpredictable, angry, vengeful, and beyond Lloyd's control.

"Zelos…" he said softly, his voice breaking. "I—…thank you…"

The Chosen snorted. "Don't thank me. I'm just stating the obvious."

"Then what's wrong? If it isn't Sheena…?"

He closed his eyes, his lips twitching upward. "You freak me the hell out, Lloydie-boy. That's what. Can't keep any secrets from you, can I? It'd freak anybody out. To be honest, it's a wonder that you still let me into your little group of misfits knowing that I was playing triple agent, trying to sell my sister out to Yggdrasill, trying to become an angel… Gods, I'm a bastard."

Lloyd laughed, "Because I know you make the right choices in the end."

Zelos snorted, "Didn't you just spend the last three hours blathering on about how much things have changed? What makes you think I'm the same person you're friends with in _your_ time?"

"Oh, I think you'd be surprised… You picked us in the end, you know. Helped Dad get all the pieces for the Ring, saved us after we'd fallen into one of Cruxis' traps… You were possessed by Mithos to stop him from hurting me. Maybe my taste's not so shitty after all."

Pink and black fingers pushed the hair from Zelos' eyes as he watched Lloyd for a long moment. "…maybe…I guess we'll see."

…

_Happy frigging 2012, bitches! Bring in the year with some bromance! I was getting sick of the depressing stuff, and writing angsty Lloyd isn't quite as fun as writing just good ol' Hero Lloyd. _

_R&R_

_~Yoshi_


	38. Chapter 38

_It's official, four chapters (including this chapter and the epilogue) until Paradox is done. I don't know, however, how long this is going to take me; though I'd really like to finish it in the next month or so, school has started up again and I've only been going a day before drowning in all of the things I need to do. Still, I want to stick to my regular schedule._

_The poll I put up asking readers what they would like to see me write next came out close with 9 of my voters wanting to see me write the Kharlan War and 10 wanting to see a Renegade Origin story. Thanks to everyone who voted, and we'll see what happens if and when I start another long term project. However, it could well be summer when I start anything new._

_Now, to the actual chapter._

…

"Lloyd, may I have a word?"

The boy had been sitting quietly, listening to his friends talk over their lunch. The rich scents of the meal that Tabatha had made for them, while they would normally have made his mouth water, today made him feel sick. Though this could perhaps have had something to do with the conversation—argument?—that he had had with Zelos earlier.

Or perhaps his stress came from that none of his friends would look him in the eye.

He looked up at his father. The man looked tired, but, as always, he hid it well. It was somewhat comforting to see at least one person who was not afraid of Lloyd. "Yeah, 'course." Lloyd stood and followed his father into one of Altessa's off-shooting rooms.

Father and son examined each other a moment, each taking in the stress and exhaustion of the other before Kratos finally spoke. "I wish to apologize for my outburst last night." Even when he was apologizing, Kratos had the amazing ability to look as if he were merely apologizing for handing someone the wrong change. His face was unmoving and his hands lay comfortably at his sides. The man could have lied his way out of prison, if he had to. Or he could have if his eyes weren't betraying him.

There was something pleading in their red depths, asking Lloyd to forgive him.

"Dad…you're right. I _should_ have trusted you. You don't have to apologize; maybe if I had tried to change things, I might not have screwed up so much…we might have been able to really save people's lives. I was so busy worrying about—"

Kratos interrupted Lloyd, quietly shaking his head. "No. Nothing that has happened is your fault, and I now suspect that things may have been much worse had you chosen to ignore the suggestions of Origin and your friends. I should not have acted so brashly, and I apologize."

Lloyd smiled softly at his father. "…does that mean that you'll help me? I have to decide if I'm going to attack Kvar head-on or not, and you're better at strategy than I am. Will you help?"

"Of course, Lloyd."

Some good news, some relief at last.

…

Lloyd wasn't sure what news was coming. He was sure enough that Yuan was going to help him, and now his father, and Mithos and Noishe and perhaps—_perhaps—_Yggdrasill, but as for his friends, Lloyd did not know where they stood, and it terrified him.

They were whispering now. Lloyd wouldn't listen in. He would respect them even if it killed him. He felt a hand on his shoulder, and looked around to see Noishe. The man was grinning that irritating, childish grin at him. "It's gonna be okay, Lloydie. Trust me. You think they don't like you, but they can't_ help_ but trust you. That's always how it works! Everything'll be okay!"

"…I don't know. They really don't have any reason _to_ trust me. I lied to them, Noishe."

The Protozoan snorted, "And it's not as if _every one of them_ hasn't lied! Like remember how Raine and Genis totally neglected to tell you that they were half-elves, and you didn't care? Your reasoning was_ way_ better." His voice had risen now, and the group could hear him. Their voices had ceased and Genis was glaring at Lloyd and Noishe.

"That's different, it didn't put anyone in danger!"'

"Sure it did. What if the Desians had found out? Or decided to attack the group just because they were "traitor" half-elves? It's happened before! Or if the humans had found out and _they'd_ attacked. You all could have died! Or how about Colette? She didn't tell anyone that she was going to die! You remember how horrified you were! And why didn't she tell you? Because you would have had_ less fun._ I like your reasoning better."

Lloyd's face was growing red. "Shut up, Noishe! Colette was in trouble, and she was suffering! Of course she didn't tell anyone!"

Noishe was grinning wildly now. "Or how about how Zelos was working for the Renegades the whole time?" And suddenly, Lloyd understood. This wasn't for his sake; it was for the group's. Lloyd kept secrets, but so did everyone else. Noishe was just pointing it out.

And he had protected Zelos. The Chosen had been a triple agent. Noishe kept that secret.

"Plenty of people have kept worse secrets than being from the future! I mean, Yuan's a freaking Renegade, and I bet Mithos is _way_ madder about that than about him knowing that Kvar's from the future and not saying anything about it!"

In the background, Mithos chuckled. "No, no, we're still just pissed that he convinced Martel to marry him."

"Speak for yourself," snarled Yggdrasill.

Noishe chuckled. "See? There are _way_ worse things than lying, stupid!"

The group was back to muttering and Lloyd sighed, his face still red with frustration. He doubted Noishe's little strategy had worked the way the Protozoan had meant it. He had just pissed them off.

Or perhaps not. Colette was speaking now, and though Lloyd could not hear her, she looked passionate. Presea was nodding and most of the adults seemed to at least be taking her seriously. Genis looked angry and he snapped something at the girl and the Chosen snapped back, her blue eyes wide with frustration.

"I trust Lloyd!" Colette finally shouted; her hands clenched at her sides. "He's my friend and he's your friend too and you're stupid not to believe him!" Never before had Lloyd seen the girl so…_angry._ Passionate, certainly, but she did not _get angry._ The blond Chosen marched over to where Lloyd was sitting and plopped down next to him, her legs and arms crossed.

Lloyd stared for a moment, then gently put a hand on Colette's shoulder. "…you don't have to, Colette. It's going to be dangerous…"

She turned her blue glare on Lloyd, but the intensity faltered. "Oh Lloyd…I know, but trying to rescue me was dangerous too, but you did it anyway! Besides, if we don't fight Kvar, he'll destroy everything, just like Mithos and Noishe said…"

There was a massive silence, in which the group stared between Lloyd and Colette. Finally, Presea rose and wordlessly sat beside Colette. A flicker of hope lit in Lloyd's chest and spread to his face, splitting a little grin over his feature. "Guys…thanks…"

"I have seen what the Desians have done," Presea said simply. "If Kvar is like Rodyle, I will not allow him to live." It was as if things were finally falling into place as the little pink-haired girl turned her blank stare upon the remainder of the group.

Regal shook his head, sadly resigned. "They are right, of course. If we do not destroy Kvar, he will destroy us, one by one. What choice do we have other than to fight by Lloyd's side?"

"We can fight him on our own! We don't need Lloyd or Yuan or Yggdrasill! We can do this on our own! We've stopped Desians before and we'll do it again. Lloyd's been lying to us from the beginning, what if there's something else he hasn't told us about? If he's like his dad, then we're all just_ tools_ in some stupid plan!"

The young half-elf's words were met with a sigh. He had rephrased his argument so many times that even those who may support it were tired of hearing it. "Genis," said Raine at last, "Lloyd is still Lloyd, and you know him better than that. He is your friend. He is_ our_ friend."

"He's not listening, Raine," Zelos said coldly. "The brat's so jaded that he's not going to listen to_ shit._ Brat, I don't agree with what Bud's been doing, but even you can't be stupid enough to think that we can take down an army of Desians on our own! You saw Mizuho, and they_ weren't_ an immediate threat. Now imagine an army with that kind of power. Give it up. Even if you don't like the way Bud does stuff, it's pretty obvious that we don't have any other choices."

Genis was furious, but he was the only one. Whatever their personal thoughts on Lloyd, Kvar was a real and very terrifying threat, and not one that they were going to leave to chance.

"Then it is unanimous," Raine said short, speaking calmly over Genis' stuttering. "We will all help you, Lloyd."

…

The group had no idea what to do next. A frontal attack, presumably making use of Yuan's Renegades, was too vague a plan for anyone to feel comfortable with. All the same, Kvar had been in possession of not only the Tower, but of Welgaia and, indeed, all of Derris-Kharlan for hours enough to have changed whatever he wished, and created obstacles in every one of the Seraph's emergency paths.

There was no way in but to blunder blindly into traps.

Still, they ate and talked quietly and tried not to think about the days or weeks to come. It was too dangerous, too unknown, to dwell on. It was because of this anxiety that Lloyd couldn't make himself eat. The rich stew that Tabatha had made smelled fantastic, but it made Lloyd's stomach churn. He rolled pieces of beef around in its broth, but made no attempt to eat.

Altessa and Tabatha, whatever their thoughts had been when the Seraphim had shown up in their home, had quietly accepted the massive presence of the group. It was mostly likely out of fear that they were so hospitable, but it was another minor detail that Lloyd couldn't dwell on. He did feel bad for imposing on them, but with the dwarf acting reminiscent of a shadow, and Tabatha clearly still very robotic, there was no way to thank them.

Someone knocked on the door, and everyone jumped. With four Seraphim, several half-elves, and Noishe, they should have been able to sense anyone coming. Robotically, Tabatha moved to the door and opened it, reveling half-a-dozen figures in ninja dress. They seemed as surprised to see the Chosen's group sitting around Altessa's table as the group was to see ninja at his door.

"I apologize, we seem to have interrupted your meal…"

Lloyd's skin tingled with anger as he recognized the speaker. Orochi. _Orochi_ of all men, was alive, while Sheena lay in another room, lifeless. _Orochi_ had somehow survived the attack, most likely been away from the village at the time and safe. This must have been how the others had survived the attack as well. It wasn't fair. It wasn't_ fair!_ How the hell could she be dead while he stood there, whole and cocky. How could Sheena have died for the honor of her village—for_ Lloyd's_ life—while this bastard was untouched?

"We…did not know where else to go. If Mizuho has been…" The ninja who spoke was a young woman, and her eyes sparkled with tears as she tried to speak. "If Mizuho has been compromised, than we can trust no one…"

Regal rose. He had the least investment, and could speak most freely, Lloyd supposed. The only reason that he was with them was that he had been moved by Lloyd's story, and by the destruction of the village. "You may rest easy knowing that Mizuho was not betrayed. The Desians have taken over the holy city of Welgaia, and they are the ones who destroyed the village."

The tragedy translated so easily into the simple tale that Lloyd felt disgust rise in his throat. This was not simple. It had not been simple from the beginning, nor would it _ever_ be. Even when his lies had been untangled, it was still complicated.

"…where is Sheena?" Orochi asked as the newcomers were invited inside and given the chance to look around. "I was under the impression that she would still be with you…"

The looks exchanged replaced words as they were shown Sheena's body. There were no howls of sobbing, not even a gasp of shock. Merely silence.

…

Sheena's funeral was less formal than anyone would have liked. The ninja that had come were dressed in black formal wear as they gently prepared Sheena's body, carefully tucking her pale, lifeless limbs into her white funeral-wear. Although their assets were limited, two of the men had sneaked back into Mizuho and rescued some of the less-damaged artifacts. Among them was the formal white funeral kimono in which they had dressed Sheena.

It was only right to see her buried with her lost friends, and so a hole was dug in the center of the destroyed village. As the group stood around in the black clothes they had bought in Ozette, the ninja chanted softly in Mizuhoian, a language that Lloyd had never learned, but rather wished he had, and incense was lit.

Lloyd was crying. Everyone was crying. Genis clung to his sister, his face buried in her black skirt, tears falling freely down her pale cheeks. Colette held Presea's hand, the girls had become close since their souls had returned, and there was never a time in which one needed a friend more than now. Zelos somehow managed to keep a straight face as he cried, but his eyes were red and his face much, much paler than usual. Even Regal had tears sliding out from under his closed eyelids.

Only the Seraphim remained unmoved. Perhaps it was because they simply could not cry, but more likely, they had already seen too much in their long lives. It was difficult to be moved but something so simple as a death. There had been worse fates.

"I am afraid that we do not know her real name," murmured a female ninja. "Normally it is written down so as to help her spirit in the afterlife, but… We've done the best we can for her." The woman had kindly switched to the common language so as to communicate with the group. "We are sorry that we cannot do more." Tears slid down her face as well.

Orochi looked up from where he was gently bent over Sheena's form, placing a handful of gold coins in her hand. "We have done our best for her, surely she would have appreciated that there's little more that we could do."

Lloyd was sure that he was the only one to hear the contempt and anger in Orochi's voice.

"Of course she would have," Regal agreed softly. "Thank you…"

The ninja bowed her head as Sheena's coffin was lowered into the hole and dirt was poured over the wooden coffin that had been made in a matter of hours since the ninja had arrived. The hole was filled, the coffin covered, and the fresh mound of dirt in the middle of a village once pulsating with life caused Lloyd's tears to fall again.

"…I think that I speak for all of us," murmured another ninja at last, "when I say that I wish to help you destroy the monster that destroyed our families. You will accept even our modest help, I hope…?" A man that Lloyd knew he had seen before, but whose name had been lost to time, met Lloyd's eyes with serious, grey orbs.

Lloyd nodded. "Of course…"

Somehow, in a matter of hours, Lloyd had assembled an army.

…

"Lloyd, we need to talk." Mithos grabbed Lloyd's sleeve and pulled him away from the rest of the group, all making their way back through Ozette toward Altessa's. "It is important."

Blinking, Lloyd followed the half-elf away from the group. Frankly, he had not spoken to Mithos for several days, or at least not privately. Whatever it was that was "important," though, did add a hint of earnest worry to the man's voice.

"What's up?" Lloyd asked wearily.

Mithos closed his eyes for a moment, blocking out the dark forest around them. "Do you know what a paradox is?"

Lloyd shook his head. He had, of course, heard the term before, but his friends had just _assumed_ that he knew the meaning. Sometimes Raine forgot that despite all their travels, vocabulary was not his strong suit. "No. Does someone finally want to _tell_ me?"

The former leader of Cruxis did.

…

_I'll try to get the next chapter up as quickly as possible, but don't get hopes up for a quick update, because I'll have to write the next three chapters all at once so they're cohesive, meaning that once I finish them, there'll be three very quick updates, but until then, it could take a week or so longer than usual. Sorry this was shorter than usual, but hopefully the last chapters make up for it!_

_Thank you for bearing with me!_

_R&R_

_~Yoshi_


	39. Chapter 39

_Part One of the End. _

_Thought this would be a bigger pain to write than it was, actually. Once I got the formula worked out and put on the Darker than Black OST, it wasn't too bad. A bit gory, this chapter, but we know how I like to be sometimes. Recently read _All Quiet on the Western Front_ and picked up a few tips from WWI—I wish I was kidding. Very vivid book, but a quick read, thankfully._

_Enough of my babbling, on with the chapter._

…

It was unreal. Lloyd watched the army Yuan had called prepare, and marveled that they and the group and the Seraphim were all there, together, and revolving around his purpose. There were over a hundred soldiers that had come from the Renegades, including Botta, as well as the ninjas, the Seraphim, and the Chosen's group. Despite the triumph of bringing the army together, Lloyd was far from excited. Already, adrenaline pumped through his veins and he was having a hard time sitting for more than a few seconds, or standing in one place.

There was no point in waiting or planning, it had been decided; a hundred people preparing at the base of the Tower of Salvation was going to attract the enemy's attention. They were going to march straight in—now. Lloyd was sure he was going to be sick before they got to their destination.

"You okay, Bud?" Zelos asked from behind him. Whatever the Chosen was thinking, he kept it well-hidden.

Lloyd shrugged. "Yeah, 'cept for the part where I'm scared out of my damn mind."

The Chosen of Tethe'alla chuckled, "Least we know you're sane, then. No way someone wouldn't be scared. We'll be okay, though. Bet there's only, like, a dozen Desians left; the angels took the rest out." They both knew he was only saying it because that was what they needed to hear. Still, it helped.

"Yeah, we'll take 'em down in no time."

"Yup! Revenge, saving the world, stopping the baddies, all in a day's work for Zelos and his hunnies!"

Lloyd snorted. "Yeah, sure… Hey, are you okay? You're still here…but…"

Zelos waved the boy's concerns away like petty pointlessness. "Oh please, Bud. Let's worry about the touchy-feely stuff when there's_ not_ an army waiting for us, kay? After we've kicked the shit out of Kvar, we can kiss and make up." Zelos was determined not to let Lloyd in.

"Just make sure you come out alive, Zelos. Don't go pulling any shit on me."

"Shit? _Me?_ Never! Bud, I'm insulted!" Smirking, Zelos turned and flounced away.

…

It was time. The army was restless, the group was as prepared as they were going to be, and Lloyd couldn't stand it if he had to wait a moment longer. In almost no time, they were at the base of the Tower of Salvation, weapons drawn, waiting for an attack. None came.

Lloyd's heart was pounding as they moved closer, deeper, faster. His eyes didn't want to stop moving, and he felt the effects of the adrenaline that pumped through his blood. He was at the front of the group, leading them up the stairs of the Tower of Salvation, and into the ground level of the massive structure.

It was surely a trap. They were being lured into a building where they lacked the upper hand. He should have turned them around and marched straight back out, but the temptation to hunt down Kvar, the taste of his defeat was so _close._ The end of Lloyd's journey was all upon him, he had only to kill his enemy, how could he turn back now? It was not an option, as stupid as it was.

Yggdrasill pushed past Lloyd, into his Tower, and proceeded to lead the way through twisting tunnels, over bridges that spanned from one side of the Tower to the other, with drops down into dark mist beneath, and, once, through a tiny crawlspace. They were doing their best to avoid whatever traps that may have been set for them in the days between Cruxis' defeat and their attack. Still, every step that they took brought them higher and higher up the Tower of Salvation. Vivid images of the Tower exploding, collapsing, tumbling thousands of feet to the world beneath bloomed in Lloyd's mind.

If Yggdrasill had managed it, surely Kvar could. Their army could be utterly destroyed in the seconds that it would take the Tower to fall.

Yet they still stood, they still walked down empty halls and moved closer and closer to Kvar. Lloyd had been higher in the Tower, but he, Noishe, and the Seraphim were alone in this. The group and the Renegades were awed by the views, the weightless rooms, and the massive span of the structure. Glorious, to be sure, but Lloyd was tired of being up too high.

Finally, they reached the top, or so Mithos claimed. It was a massive room, thousands of feet long, and made of white marble, polished until it shown. The buzz of mana from Derris-Kharlan was so strong that Lloyd almost felt light-headed.

"What _is_ this place?" Genis asked, and his voice echoed through the great, empty hall.

"I suppose you could call it a Desian storage hall," Kvar said as he walked toward them. Wherever he had warped from, he had managed to do it without alerting any of them. "This is where the few remaining Desians camp after one world has been regenerated and they are preparing to move to the next. Generally, there are only about a hundred or so that make it through the purging the humans attempt after the Regeneration, and they wait patiently up here."

There was a general hiss from the assembled army, and then several Renegades cried out as a massive army of Desians warped into the room. Whatever hope there had been that their numbers would have been depleted by the angels was banished. If anything, the estimates that Yuan and Yggdrasill had given him seemed to have vastly underestimated the number of men and women waiting for them. There were _hundreds._

Lloyd was outnumbered.

"Now," Kvar said with flourish, "let the games begin!"

…

"_Do you know what a paradox is?" Mithos' blue eyes were, as always, serious. The haunted look that had implanted itself in those eyes seemed so out of place on a child's face. Lloyd would almost have been less afraid were Yggdrasill's insane glint still dominant._

"_Not a clue, Raine and Yuan would talk about it, but they never told me."_

…

Lloyd and those of the group that were still with him cut their way through the onslaught of mad half-elves that charged them. Zelos, Kratos, Noishe, Colette, and Raine cut their way through the initial flood of soldiers. It was baffling to see such a massive number. Lloyd was sure that the angels would have destroyed more of them, but there seemed no end to the shining helmets and mad eyes of the Desians.

Most of Lloyd's actions now were purely reactive. He was fighting relentlessly, thoughtlessly, almost like one of Mithos' almost-extinct angels. He felt his sword slice through a woman, the blade finding the weak point in the Desian's armor, before his mind realized what he was doing. Flesh parted like water, melting away into the sea of pain and screams around them.

She was probably screaming now, wasting her last breaths screaming for help, for someone to please,_ please_ help her! She was lost, would soon be dead—trampled by the oncoming army, by the madness of war. But Lloyd had already forgotten her, had already moved onto the next battle, the next victim.

A man this time, the blood from his exposed neck splattered across Lloyd's face. Even detached as he was, Lloyd felt mortification bubble in the back of his throat. What was he doing? Starting a war with people Kvar had lied to and manipulated to kill for him…? He was as bad as the Desian…

These thoughts were washed away when, across their bloodied battlefield, he spotted Myrrh pulling a wicked blade from the mangled corpse of a Renegade soldier. She saw him in the same moment, and smirked widely, calling over the sounds of the dying, "Having fun yet, Lloydie!"

Lloyd charged her. He was already angry, already lost to the world, and Myrrh was as good as dead.

Myrrh was quick, and she parried every one of Lloyd's quick strikes. Around him, his friends battled on as well; he could hear Kratos' grunts, Zelos' random, almost panicked, laughter, and the soft chanting of Raine's healing spells. A burst of light was Colette to his right and several Desians saw first their armor, and then their flesh burned away by the angel's holy light. Despite the Desians outnumbering them, the group and their army were bearing down upon them without mercy. Lloyd was winning.

…

_They were walking away from the group now, through the ashes of Mizuho. Taking in the mess, Lloyd waited for the half-elf to explain himself. For a long moment, Mithos could only stare off into the emptiness. "…a paradox is a contradiction," he said at last. "The basic analogy is the Grandfather Paradox."_

_Lloyd still stared blankly at the shorter boy and Mithos elaborated. "If you went back and time and killed your grandfather before your father was conceived, you wouldn't be born, and therefore, you couldn't kill your grandfather."_

…

He bore down upon his smaller adversary. His swings were stronger, his arm not tiring, as he moved closer. Always, he held one sword defensively, blocking many attempted attacks that could have had his intestines exploring the bloody ground at their feet. He jumped back just far enough to evade her next swing, and brought both of his swords down on her shoulder. They struck home, through for his attempt, Myrrh's blade had managed a shallow gorge down his chest.

Still, Myrrh was knocked off of her feet and as she fell, Lloyd cut through her stomach, his swords leaving a trail through her almost-purple flesh. She screamed, and for once, Lloyd heard the cries that his swords left in their wake, and for once, he did not care. She had caused him too much agony, and watching the light in her eyes die was like pouring water on a forest fire. She wanted him dead, and it was as if she thought her eyes would do the job for her.

Empty. Her eyes lost their life, and a curse died on her lips.

It seemed impossible that the rest of the world hadn't stopped to watch the dying woman, but the battle raged around them still, and a moment later, Lloyd felt the warm blossom of healing mana take the sting from his chest wound. He swung 'round and cut through another Desian, this one trying to sneak up on Colette while the angel hurriedly cast another spell.

…

"_Time does its best to eradicate any sort of paradox. They _cannot_ exist. The contradiction causes ripples in time, such as Noishe and myself, to break through. Universes break apart; specific and dangerously detailed events like this Journey or the Kharlan War cannot be changed or all of time changes its course."_

"_Origin said something like that," Lloyd mused quietly, "but what does it mean? How does that even apply? Kvar didn't kill my Dad, and I'm still alive…and I didn't kill anyone…or are you saying I should kill _his_ grandpa?"_

_Mithos sighed and shook his head. "No, fool, the answer is very simple. There is only one way that this can end, don't you understand yet? You have to let him win."_

…

They were advancing still further; through waves of broken bodies, Lloyd tried to move. He didn't know where he was going, he only knew that he was searching for Kvar. But there was no sign of the Desian. He had disappeared into his advancing men, a phantom into a mess of madness. Looking for him felt almost pointless, but what other choice did Lloyd have? There was only one way out.

He had just shaken the body of a Desian off his sword; the already blood-slicked instrument almost seemed tired. Behind him, he heard Kratos growl in fury, and Lloyd rounded to see the man charging at Kvar. The Desian was laughing, standing away from the battle, watching the hell with twisted glee.

"Dad!"

Kratos was too busy to respond. He swerved around Kvar's first burst of lightning and slammed into the Desian's side, his sword cutting deeply into the half-elf. Kvar stumbled and fell, his head striking the marble floor with dizzying effects. The Seraph advanced, and Lloyd's breath caught in his throat. Kratos didn't know the plan, he didn't know what Mithos had realized. He _couldn't_ kill Kvar!

The Desian had different plans for his demise, however, and as Kratos approached, lightning rained around them both. Kvar had no sense of direction; he simply needed to protect himself. It wasn't just Kratos who was shocked, but Raine and several Desians that had strayed too close trying to help their fallen leader.

"_Dad, don't!"_ Lloyd shouted again. The lightning was dying away as Kvar regained himself and sat up, his red eyes unfocused. Kratos was hardly slowed by the spells. Somehow, Kvar was on his feet and ready to parry Kratos' attacks when the Seraph reached him. They moved rapidly, like a choreographed dance. Left. Right. Up. Down. It didn't want to stop, neither man would give in. Neither would break. Somehow, amidst the chaos, Kvar won.

The blade broke flesh. Kratos gasped. His eyes were wide, shocked. He had thought he could survive this ordeal. Death had not been an option. It had never been an option. Kratos Aurion fell. The blade had sliced cleanly through his heart. He was dead before he hit the ground.

…

"_What?" Lloyd stared at Mithos as if he had grown a second head. "No way!"_

"_Think about it: why did Kvar come back in time? _Because he lost. _If he were to win, he would never have gone back in the first place, and…"_

"_And none of this would have happened."_

…

Kratos' eyes were empty and staring, a trickle of blood dribbled from the corner of his mouth. For the first time in his life, the grip on the Seraph's sword was loose and awkward. He lay at the base of the Tower of Salvation, dead.

Lloyd knew he was screaming. It was Sheena all over again, and tears had already begun to sting his eyes as he collapsed beside his father. The empty hole in his heart that had been ripped at and tugged by everything he had done through time was torn open. Every emotion possible bubbled through his mind, blinding him, making him scream and writhe.

Not Dad. Gods, please not Dad. He was going to keep him here. Keep him off of Derris-Kharlan. He was going to hear about Mom from Dad, he was going to train and travel and spend long nights talking and laughing. He wanted the childhood with his father that he couldn't have. He had always known he was going to keep his father with him—refuse to send him to that damned planet. And now…he was…gone.

"_No!"_ he screamed "No no no no no!"

Firm hands tugged Lloyd to his feet and he looked into Noishe's green eyes. "Lloyd! Lloyd, hold yourself together! Lloyd!" He felt the harsh sting of fingers colliding with his cheek and almost in slow motion, stars blossomed in front of his eyes. The protozoan had hit him.

"Dad…"

Kvar was dead. The bastard was_ dead._

…

"_That's how you defeat Kvar. You have to let him win, let time unwind and destroy the paradox."_

…

_Holy crap. Okay, next chapter is the last actual chapter, and then I've got an epilogue and we're done! Patience, the wait it almost over!_


	40. Chapter 40

_Final real chapter, last author's note; better make it good._

_First, as every good author should, I'm going to give the biggest thank you in the world to my readers! There is no way in hell that this would have been finished had you not been here to read and encourage and you have no idea how truly thankful I am that you took time from your schedules to read my work. Ever word you've said has inspired so much, so thank you. Thank you from the bottom of the black hole that is my heart._

_A second thank you to Zelda—perhaps the least supportive beta in the world, but I suppose that's what I get for having interesting side-projects as well. Thanks for reading through all of my nonsense and putting up with my inability to spell or understand the most basic of grammatical structures. Love you!_

_Thank you, thank you, thank you. Here's your last chapter!_

…

Lloyd lost his mind. He lost control. He lost coherent thought. All that he knew was that that man—_that bastard—_had signed his own death warrant. He was a dead man, and it would be by Lloyd's hand and no one, not Mithos, not Origin, not even Colette, could stop him.

He saw red; his sword swung madly, as if it had its own mind and his arm just provided momentum for where the blade wanted to move. Now there were two, both swinging in perfect harmony; if one struck out, the other guarded. If one was blocked, the other was following. Lloyd no longer really cared if he was hurt.

Or at least he thought he didn't. The pain that blossomed in his side as Kvar's staff collided with it almost brought him back, almost reminded him of Mithos' warnings. They were lost as Lloyd's blades swung again and Kvar screamed.

"Oh, foolish, foolish child. Do you think you can stop me? Of course you can't. I've had decades to plan this, and I will_ not _allow you to spoil it!"

Kvar's words were lost on mad ears, and Lloyd continued his attack. Right swing—blocked, the left followed, jumping from its place of protection to the offensive. He managed to land a hit, but Kvar threw himself out of the way and Lloyd only grazed his shoulder. He raced several steps forward, following Kvar's every movement, his eyes almost as fast as his sword.

Around them, the other battles seemed to cease, and if Lloyd had still been listening, he would have heard them pull apart to watch Kvar and Lloyd. Somewhere, Lloyd still registered the faces of his friends, though. He could still see Colette's wide blue eyes, tears beginning to leak from them even in the second he devoted to her. Zelos jerked a man off his sword; Presea finished a swing of her ax that cleaved two men into halves. Raine was crouched over the unmoving form of Regal. Genis was laying in a puddle of blood, Noishe trying to help him sit up.

Finally, Mithos. He was shouting; his blue eyes for once filled with expression. Lloyd would have wished he could hear his friend's words. All he could hear was the roaring in his ears. All it took was a second of listening and Mithos' words broke though.

"_Don't kill him!"_

_Don't?_ How could he _not?_ For Dad, for his friends. To protect them all. How could he_ not?_

"_Use the paradox!"_

Right. Paradox. Yet, was it even conceivable that he could let himself lose? Was there any force on the planet that could make Lloyd drop his guard?

The sword in his left hand flew through the air and clattered to the ground several meters away. There was a massive intake of breath from the onlookers and Kvar crowed triumphantly. Lloyd tripled his offensive. Mana gathered around him like a cloud of angry, almost sizzling dust.

Somehow, Kvar was blocking almost as rapidly as Lloyd was attacking. He wasn't sure how. As quickly as he moved back and forth and left and right and up and down, dodging and slashing; twisting and ducking, Kvar was there with him. This was no intricate dance, it was nature. Another hit, another burst of pain, and Lloyd would keep spinning and fighting. He would land a hit, Kvar would scream, and then lightning would fight its way up Lloyd's sword and eat away at his fingers. Lloyd howled and drove his sword down, the lightning shocking the Desian as well.

He flung himself out of the way just as the heavy metal end of Kvar's staff, buzzing with lightning, was swung at his head, and using the moment, tried to trip Kvar. He managed to knock the Desian to the ground. The man, old, decrepit, dying, landed heavily on his hip and roared in pain. Lloyd's sword found itself at the Desian's throat.

The world seemed to rush back to him, and for the first time, he heard the shouts from Mithos. He could see the Desians that had sided with Kvar trying to slip away. He could see his friends' hopeful faces, hear their cheers. There were a thousand calls for Kvar's death.

Kratos was dead. Kvar deserved to die.

Yet as Lloyd's initial response tried to kick in, something stopped his arm. It was Noishe's eyes—those massive, dog-like, forest green eyes begging Lloyd not to do the stupid thing—that made his muscles tense and refuse to move.

For a moment, Kvar's eyes were wide, shocked that he had lost, terrified for what was to come. Then, it slowly seemed to dawn on him what Lloyd's hesitation meant. "I knew it!" sneered the Desian, his lips twisting grotesquely. "You could never kill me! You come all this way to lose to your own weakness at the last moment!"

Mithos had stopped yelling now—Lloyd wondered if it was to stop Kvar from hearing his plan—and the boy was watching Lloyd with wide, worried eyes. He had no idea what Lloyd would do. It was fair;_ Lloyd _had no idea what he was going to do. His sword was still pressed to Kvar's throat. He could have drawn blood with just a bit more pressure. Yet he wasn't. He didn't_ want_ to.

Lloyd glanced at his father; the man's body was still splayed on the marble floor. His eyes were closed and the shock of death almost seemed to have disappeared. Kratos had seen so much of life; Lloyd couldn't help but wonder if death was a long-awaited rest after so many years. He wondered if his mother had been there to greet her Seraph. He wondered if they would both be there when he died. The anger was slipping away, the energy it had created whipped away in the attack.

And then, very simply, Lloyd knew what he had to do. He couldn't leave Kratos and maybe Genis and Regal dead. He couldn't see Yggdrasill or Yuan; he couldn't quite bear to think of what had happened to them. He couldn't just carry on with this life. He_ couldn't._ Kratos may have been ready to die, but Lloyd wasn't ready to see him go. Sheena may have been pleased with her death, but Lloyd wasn't. The people of Palmacosta and Mizuho had died for nothing, and if Lloyd could change that, he _would._

Pure selfishness made Lloyd drop his sword away from Kvar.

"You're right. I can't do it."

Lloyd didn't look at Kvar as he said it, but stared over his head, at Mithos. The Leader of Cruxis had been holding his breath, and it had rushed out of his lungs when Lloyd had finally spoken.

Around him, Lloyd's friends were shouting. The Renegades didn't seem to know what to do. Noishe grabbed Zelos as he tried to attack Kvar himself. Lloyd purposefully turned his back on Kvar, not listening to the Desian's insults. Instead, he met Raine's eyes, watched her blink in slow horror as she tried to comprehend what he was doing.

"You may be too weak, but I am not! You've come all this way for me, but I'll send you somewhere where you_ can't_ find me!" Kvar pulled a knife from somewhere, Lloyd had no idea where, and it found its mark in his back, between his ribs. Kvar had once been a master surgeon. He knew every one of the body's weakest points, he knew the place that would kill Lloyd slowly and that which would draw out the pain.

He had decided on a quick death for Lloyd.

It hadn't been articulated, Mithos hadn't had to say it. Lloyd had known that the paradox would only be completed if Kvar killed him. His death would be the catalyst. Without Lloyd reuniting the world and supposedly killing Kvar, the man wouldn't find his way through time. Black enveloped him, screams rang in his ears, and Lloyd died.

…

_Alright, Epilogue next Friday. Talk to you then, guys!_

_With massive amounts of love,_

_~Yoshi _


	41. Epilogue

Lloyd jerked awake, panting. He had had a dream, and he tried to gather it together as he blinked at the weak light filtering through his curtains into his room. What was it…? His dad was there, and so was Colette, Raine, and Genis…or…no, there had been more people… Even as he tried to pull the memories of the dream toward him, they slipped away, like water dripping through cupped hands. He sighed and sat up, wondering what time it was.

"_Lloyd!"_ Dirk bellowed from the base of the stairs to Lloyd's loft room. "Yer gonna be late again!"

Apparently it _wasn't_ that early. He stumbled out of bed, the dream now thoroughly forgotten.

Ten minutes later, Lloyd and Noishe were jogging through Iselia forest at top speed, trying to get Lloyd to class on time, though it was already a lost cause. They rounded a corner and for a moment, Lloyd thought he saw two men standing side by side, watching him, but when he looked back, there was nothing.

Stupid, he didn't have_ time,_ he was going to be_ late!_

…

Kvar pulled himself out of the wreckage of metal, broken parts, and bodies that his Ranch had once been. He was hurt badly, and on the verge of losing too much blood, but he was alive. His arm hurt, and he almost didn't dare to look at it, but there would be no way he could patch himself up if he didn't. The sharp piece of metal shrapnel was already stained red with his blood, and he was sure that the damned thing would be useless unless he hurried.

He moved his other arm into view for the first time and stared at the red, burned skin. A fireball from the explosion had hit the entirety of his right shoulder. Still, he could work with it. With a soft hiss, Kvar pulled the shrapnel from his arm and began bandaging it up with fabric scraps that he could grab from around him. The half-elf had never learned to heal—in fact, he despised the art, though he was beginning to rethink that thought process now.

Slowly, painfully, Kvar patched himself up. The focus and the pain were enough that he didn't notice that he had company until he was staring at the boy's white boots.

Looking up, the half-elves' eyes met, Kvar's narrowed red with the icy blue of his companion.

"Are you proud?" the newcomer asked. "Your kingdom collapsed around you."

Kvar scoffed, "Boy, I may not look it now, but I've friends in high places. This is not the end."

Those blue eyes narrowed, disgusted, and pale lips pulled into an ironic smile. "Oh? Friends? If there is one thing that I've learned, Lord Kvar, _friends_ will betray you." He laughed, high-pitched and unhinged, and pulled out a sword.

It was simple, undecorated, cheaply made, but sharp. The child plunged it into Kvar's heart before the Grand Cardinal could react.

Pain was something Kvar could handle, it was something he was used to, it was something he flourished in. What Kvar fell into was not pain, it was nothingness.

Mithos pulled the blade from Kvar's chest and let his shoulders relax. It was over.


End file.
